JAMMU, Mar 1: The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 307 major forest fires in 2024 and the current year so far, causing extensive damage to the large swathes of the green cover in the region.
With 11% of the UT’s total area under forests, Jammu and Kashmir had 10.15 lakh hectares of forest in 2020. However, by 2023, wildfires had destroyed 112 hectares, releasing an estimated 68.8 kilotons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which monitors wildfires nationwide, 284 large fires were reported in J&K in 2024 and 23 in the first two months of 2025, with some fires remaining active for an entire year between 2024 and 2025.
Of the 307 major wildfires recorded, Jammu region accounted for 286 (over 93%) incidents, the data said.
The highest number of fires—130—occurred in June 2024, followed by 79 in May 2024, 39 in January 2024, 22 in December 2024, 17 in February 2025, 8 in November 2024, 6 in February 2025, 4 in February 2024, and 2 in March 2024. No major forest fires were reported in April, July, August, September and October last year.
District-wise, the data said, Rajouri saw the most incidents at 51, followed by 41 in Jammu district, 40 in Udhampur, 35 in Reasi, 33 in Kathua, 18 in Kishtwar, 14 in Doda, 12 in Ramban and 11 each in Samba and Poonch.
In Kashmir, Baramulla recorded 7 major fires, Anantnag 3, while Pulwama, Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kupwara districts saw 2 each. No major forest fires were reported in Srinagar, Sopore, Shopian or Kulgam.
In 2025 so far, January recorded 17 major fire incidents, and February saw 6.
As per the FSI data, Reasi district reported the highest 6 major forest fires in the two months of 2025, followed by 4 in Ramban, 3 each in Pulwama and Kishtwar, 2 each in Udhampur, Doda and Rajouri, and one incident in Poonch district.
No major forest fires have been reported in other districts of the current year so far.
