A fire at Van Devi Hill in Pune’s Karvenagar area has scorched several large trees and newly planted saplings, damaging ongoing conservation efforts by local residents, organisations and environmental volunteers. The fire reportedly began in dry grass after fireworks were set off on the hill on the previous day, according to Sakal – Pune.
The hill has been the site of tree-planting and conservation work for several years. The efforts include the Shri Swami Samarth Seva Kendra’s environmental department and residents who regularly water and monitor the saplings. The fire has affected both mature trees and recently planted plants being cared for as part of these efforts.
Navnath Potwade, a representative of the environmental department of the Shri Swami Samarth Seva Kendra in Karvenagar, has been regularly overseeing the trees, the report said. The conservation work has focused not only on planting trees but also on helping them survive. Water is supplied near the trunks so that it can reach the roots, while local residents also participate in watering the plants.
Water availability has been a continuing challenge on the hill. According to the report, former corporator Reshma Tai Barate arranged a water supply for the trees and helped establish a system for regularly filling water tanks on the hill. This arrangement has supported the conservation work despite the absence of a direct water source at the site.
The fire has also brought renewed attention to the management of dry grass. Residents had repeatedly sought the removal of dried grass and the grass growing around the trees, saying it increased the risk of fire. Citizens and volunteers independently removed grass around some trees in an effort to reduce that risk.
The Forest Department had carried out grass-cutting work for several days, but local residents said the work remained incomplete. The report did not provide details of the total area affected by the fire, the number of trees damaged or whether an official fire assessment had been completed.
Environmental groups and residents have expressed concern over the damage and called for dry grass to be cleared in time, regular monitoring to be maintained and fire-prevention measures to be implemented on the hill. The immediate conservation challenge is to assess the affected trees and saplings while reducing the conditions that allowed a fire to spread through the dry vegetation.
