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New Delhi News: About 15 million people in India were affected by forest fires in 2024-25, with Uttar Pradesh being the most affected area.
New Delhi NewsAccording to the ‘State of Wildfire’ report, a global study, about 15 million people in India were affected by forest fires in 2024-25, with Uttar Pradesh being the most affected region. Researchers said that Uttar Pradesh witnessed the highest number of forest fires on record. The main reasons for this were crop burning, heatwave and accumulation of dry fuel. Due to these fires, there was severe smog in New Delhi in November 2024. During this period, the level of PM 2.5 was 13 times more than the daily standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO), i.e. it had reached above 200 micrograms per cubic meter. These findings showed that climate change and human activities are having a serious impact on the environment in India. India is one of the worst affected countries.
increasing danger to life
It is estimated that 15 million people have been affected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and five million each in Nigeria, China, Mozambique and South Sudan. Researchers led by the University of East Anglia, the UK Met Office, among other institutions, have warned that severe heatwaves and drought are making extreme wildfires more intense around the world, resulting in an increased risk to people’s lives. An area larger than India, 3.7 million square kilometres, was burnt by wildfires globally in 2024-25, emitting more than eight billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. According to researchers, this is estimated to be about 10 percent higher than the average since 2003. He said the emissions caused unusually large and intense wildfires in South America and Canada.
Nigeria, China also affected
Douglas Kelly, land surface modeler at the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology, said our annual report provides clear evidence of how climate change is increasing the severity of extreme wildfires. The burnt area was analyzed by the US NASA for the period March 2002 to February 2025. The analysis found that one hundred million people and $215 billion worth of homes and infrastructure were exposed to wildfires. At the country level, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the highest numbers. About 15 million people have been affected in each. Nigeria, China, Mozambique and South Sudan have also been affected to a great extent. More than five million people have been affected in each. Uttar Pradesh of India is estimated to be in greatest population crisis.
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