I enjoyed reading the letter in Gobar Times from Anand, Alfred, Skumani and Bala, students of Sholai School in Kodaikanal, entitled "Burning Hills". I did not imagine that they suffered from forest fires in their lush valley, that I had the chance to visit two years ago with my family. The children really wrote from their hearts, and their pain and anguish was evident.

Here too in Uttarakhand, whenever we suffer a prolonged spring drought, forest fires are a major problem. February and March months were the driest and warmest I had observed in eighteen years. As a consequence there have been widespread forest fires, more in Garhwal and less in Kumaun. However the high ranges to the west of here that reach over 9,000 feet, have suffered prolonged fires. They were extinguished when at last rains arrived a few days ago.

Two weeks ago we woke up at 4.15 am to see a long line of fire that had encroached on the upper edge of our boundary. I quickly got the students up, and they took no time in getting the fire under control.

The main problem here in spring is the pine needles that fall and carpet the ground. It just takes a careless match to start a fire. It is never clear who is responsible for the fires. Some point the finger at the resin contractors, suggesting they attempt controlled burning to protect their resin, others suggest villagers burning to encourage green grass. Sometimes it is the Forest Department carrying out 'controlled burning'. The fires are largely ground fires, but as in Kodaikanal the new seedlings and ground dwelling wild life especially suffer. The atmosphere gets terribly polluted, visibility being reduced to just a few miles, a smell of smoke ever hanging in the air.