Nainital (Uttarakhand), May 3: The raging forest fires in Uttarakhand could have a devastating effect on the hilly state's glaciers that serve as the lifeline of major rivers that in turn, keep the Northern Plains fertile and support the heavy population there.
[Uttarakhand forest fires: Timeber mafia flexes muscles]
According to experts based here and Almora, 'black carbon' from smog and ash are covering the glaciers and putting them at the risk of melting. [Prez condoles deaths in U'khand forest fires]
The black carbons are formed as a result of incomplete burning of fossil fuels, biofuelsd and biomass and they absorb light and increase heat, thereby threatening to melt the glaciers. ['More forest fires have occurred in 2016 compared to 2015']
The fires are also expected to pose a major threat to the region's ecology. While the rivers that originate from these glaciers stand the risk to get heavily polluted by the components of black carbon, birds are set to face a huge threat since they are less capable to flee the inferno unlike bigger animals.
The fires have already seen the temperature across North India increasing by 0.2 degree Celsius and it can leave a detrimental impact on the monsoons. The black carbons float in the air and gets deposited on clouds, disrupting the normal monsoon.
Tourism, which is a major industry in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, is also likely to take a beating because of the devastating fires.