Following a string of forest fires that have consumed the Margalla hills in recent days, a senior Islamabad official has disclosed that human activity, not natural occurrences, is actually to blame for the fire events.
Capital Development Authority Director General (CDA DG) Irfan Niazi stated on Monday’s ” Pakistan” show on Geo News that “all the fires are due to someone’s mischief or negligence.”
The official’s comments coincide with the fact that during the course of the previous week, rescue personnel battled massive fires in the hills surrounding the federal capital.
In the most recent occurrence, on Sunday, authorities put out a forest fire in the Hills.
In a different incident, a fire broke out in the forest, engulfing 15 to 20 acres in the Baghar Sharif neighborhood of Rawalpindi’s Kahuta Tehsil.
The district administration of Islamabad even detained three individuals last week on suspicion of “arson” in the Margalla Hills.
Irfan Nawaz Memon, the deputy commissioner for Islamabad, has stated, “Three persons have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire on Margalla Hills.”
CDA DG Niazi went on to elaborate on the reasons of forest fires, stating that high temperatures, strong winds, and fuel are the three main components needed for the phenomena.
“Since this area [Margalla Hills] is a national park, fuel in the form of dry twigs and leaves is already present.