The hill state of Uttarakhand is one of the worst affected by forest fires. Between November 2021 and June 2022, as many as 12,985 forest fires occurred — turning tracts of forest into ash.
But thus far, devastating forest fires haven’t engulfed stretches of forest in Hewalghatti, a scenic valley surrounded by tapering hills in Tehri district. That’s due to the efforts of Jardhargaon, a village of 600 households. Groups of women, local watchmen backed by social activists, keep forest fires at bay.
This village has two forests it looks after. One is a. . .
