Guatemala President Bernardo Arvalo issues disaster declaration in response to 44 forest fire

Guatemala: President Bernardo Arvalo issued a grave natural disaster declaration in response to the forty-four forest fire that continues to burn in the region of Guatemala. He held a press conference recently, to address the issue. The President of Guatemala stated that the wildfire is very concerning as it endangers the lives of citizens in the country, and hence, the council of ministers has decided to declare a state of calamity in the national territory.

President Arvalo emphasized that after analyzing the situation, it is safe to imply that the fire is not coincidental instead, 80% of it seems to be provoked by humans. The local farmers typically burn the grasses and remnants of crops to clear the land for harvesting. This technique known as milpa in the Central America i.e. temporary clearing of small areas in forest for agriculture can be a possible cause for fire.

Currently, involvement of farmers or any particular person has not been proved legally. However, a total of 37 criminal lawsuits have been launched to find the actual source behind the disastrous forest fire.

One of the longest-burning landfills is located near the suburbs of Guatemala City, the capital of the country, which poses a greater risk to its functioning. Keeping the safety of citizens in mind, the President has declared the shutdown of educational institutions in three central provinces. According to reports, the prevailing smoke can raise concerns related to breathing and overall health; hence, a shutdown was an immediate and necessary response.

A natural disaster declaration is usually made when the emergency gets out of the recovery capabilities of the authorities or when the recovery programs need additional support considering the large-scale damage. President Arvalo outlined in his address that the declaration has been made to ease the approval of the funding required for the firefighting efforts.

As visible from the clips and footage from the incident site, the recklessly burning fire and the dense smoke oozing out of it are posing a threat of increased environmental pollution and respiratory challenges among the masses. It would be in great interest of the public if the fire fighting teams gain a control over the fire.