TRANSCRIPT
A story of fire and ice is unfolding on the highest reaches of the Indian Himalayas in 2026. This alarming trend has been building over the past decade with forest fires increasingly reaching higher altitudes. Incidences have been reported in Uttakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the western Himalayas and in Sikkim and Arnachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
In Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, the situation became so severe that the Indian Air Force had to intervene.
According to a press information bureau release at Wong, Arnachal Pradesh, IIAF helicopters have successfully extinguished a major wildfire. A total of 139,800 L of water was dropped during multiple sorties to contain and eliminate the blaze in the affected area. Before we move ahead, please have a look at the other stories from this week. Bird flu emerges as significant threat to migratory wildlife as PCC decline of 5% in just 2 years. Israel Iran war hits India's basmati exports. Exporters seek immediate relief.
The 2025 heat wave forced 90% of street vendors in the capital to reduce working hours. The number of forest fires above 2,500 m in the western Himalayas has nearly quadrupled over the past decade.
Down to Earth analysis shows that fires recorded between November 1, 2013 and June 1, 2014 were 514 while between November 1, 2025 and March 1, 2026, they surged to 1988. Earlier forest fires were concentrated below 1,800 m but now they can be traced up to 3,000 m says Vishwamar Prasad Sati professor at Misoram University.
The fire season has also extended moving from March to May to March to mid June due to delayed southwest monsoons. Somnat bar post-doctoral scholar at University of California explains a satellite based observation has detected fire events at higher elevations ranging from approximately 2,000 to 4,000 m across the Himalayas. He adds, "These high elevation fires are mostly massive or high energy events likely due to the accumulation of large volumes of dry fuel in areas where fire suppression is limited.
Climatic changes are a major driver. El Nino years often correspond with peak fire activity. Warming in the Himalayas is occurring faster than in the rest of India. Sati notes due to climate change rainfall is increasing and becoming more concentrated during the monsoon season while the rest of the year is drier. Creaks shed more leaves increasing ground biomass which acts as fuel for fires. Bar emphasizes that elevation is the most critical factor influencing the fire occurrence. Bottom-up controls such as elevation, topography, and forest type exert the strongest influence on fire occurrence. The ecological impacts are profound. Repeated fires are altering middle and high altitude ecology, says Sati.
Native species like Rodendron and Himalayan oak are declining, replaced by fire tolerant pines and invasive weeds such as lantana. Fires also reduce soil nutrients and moisture, trigger erosion and increase landslide risk during monsoons. These fires release large amounts of pollutants like 40.81 terog of carbon dioxide and 2.52 of carbon monoxide annually along with gases and particulates such as methane, NOX, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, PM2.5, PM10, organic carbon and black carbon.
Black carbon deposits on glaciers can speed up ice melt by reducing surface albedo by about 4.2 to 5.1%.
Solutions require proactive measures. Bar suggests locating areas with substantial ground fuel before fire season using satellite imagery, creating fuel brakes and thinning ground shrubs can reduce fire spread. Sati adds integrating local participation through systems like one panchayats combined with technological early warning is key. Fire management can also generate employment and economic benefits.
As fires climb higher in the Himalayas, the battle against them demands science, strategy, and community effort before the flames reshape these iconic mountains forever. Thank you for watching. If you have any suggestions, please comment below.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9mqyEtxBE
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[KE: Everything scientists predicted about global warming/ climate change since the 1970s is coming true, only faster. Fires were always first on the list of consequences.]
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