Ali Khan Mandokhail, Syed Ali Shah:
Ancient pine and olive trees have been on fire in Balochistan’s Sherani and Musakhail districts for the last week. The administration has made repeated abortive attempts to extinguish the flames of fire. “Our administration is powerless, the federal government should take an effective step”, a senior administration official told Quetta Voice via telephone.
Secretary forest and the director-general provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) briefed Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo about the Sherani forest fire. “Seek international support to extinguish the fire”, CM Balochistan directed the DG PDMA and Secretary Forest.
Three people were burnt to death when a tree caught fire and fell on them in the Sherani pine trees forest. Four people sustained serious injuries in the aftermath of a forest fire in Sherani.
کوہ سلیمان۔۔۔ #شیرانی قدیم جنگل میں اگ کے شعلے۔۔۔ مقامی انتظامیہ بے بس۔۔۔ابھی تک نوٹس لینے کے بیانات ارہے ہیں۔۔۔ ایک ہیلی کاپٹر سے کام نہیں چلے گا pic.twitter.com/nTo23yb7QN
— Syed Ali Shah (@alishahjourno) May 19, 2022
Fire erupted in the Mughal Kot KPK forest on May 9
Fire erupted in Mughal Kot Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa territory on May 9. Local levies and forest guards had tried to put off the fire on their own. However, they failed to do so.
“Helicopters are unable to extinguish roaring flames of fire”, the senior administration official stated. The fire continues to spread fast and now it has engulfed more than 30 kilometers area of the forest.
The fire entered Balochistan on May 13. Since then, the authorities including the civil administration, forest department, provincial disaster management authority and national disaster management authority have not been able to control the spread of the fire.
The fire burnt olive and pine trees
“The fire has burnt down ancient olive and pine trees”, Attique Khan Kakar, an officer of the forest and wildlife department said. Mr. Kakar stated that the administration and his departments were helpless in extinguishing the fire.
The fire has destroyed the livelihood of the local people of the area, Wakeel Khan Sherani, a resident of the area lamented. He said the government had failed to give an immediate response to extinguish the fire in the Sherani forest.
