As a motorcycle enthusiast I find myself riding about many a times in pristine, ecologically rich environs or so my intention are nine out of ten times. Its a magnificent feeling to soak in the air exuded from these earthen life-givers we call trees, especially when they do that in the collective like in a grove, sanctuary or a national park. But every now and then one comes across the destruction of that very sacred space, something that makes me cringe, cry and cough… WILDFIRE!
This year (2016), the world is experiencing unprecedented levels of wildfires across the board almost everywhere. This post is a small tribute to the plant and animal lives lost in Uttarakhand, India this year. (Over 3000 hectares of forest destroyed, Feb-April 2016)
The amount of smog that is thrown up into the atmosphere is immense, this white washes any and all views you’ve come to expect from the mountains around. A lot of it is naturally caused while an equal amount is man made. Here are few things that everyone ought to follow during the dry months in a forest:
- Do not setup campfire if its gusting dry winds.
- Make sure you put a boundary of small rocks around your campfire.
- Only build a campfire if you know how to leave no trace of it when you leave; dismantle and wet extinguish your camp fire.
- Do not chuck lit cigarettes! Stub em out (use the car ashtray if you are driving).
- Report wildfires with legitimate hashtags so anyone actually helping knows where to go. Or communicate to local authorities.
Simple steps can halve the number of wildfires we are currently experiencing so lets toast to being a little more aware and responsible for what we end up creating.
