“Until now 1500 hectares of the land have been destroyed by the fire. We are trying to control it,” said Arun Sharma Paudel, district forest officer. [break]
Paudel however, admitted that they were finding it difficult to control the wild fires, especially in the hilly areas of the district. “It is easier to control and put out the fires in the plain, but its been very challenging in the mountainous region and some fires are still burning out of control," he said.
Paudel stated that Deukhuri Bela, Gangaparaspur, Laxmipur and Purandhara community forests have been worst hit despite awareness campaigns and distribution of basic fire-fighting equipment.
“We have provided such equipment to 36 community forests in the district,” Paudel said. “However, they have limitations," he said referring to a tool that absorbs water and is used to beat down the fire. The tool is useless against the massive fires.
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