MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2023) Russian Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov on Wednesday urged regional firefighting authorities to step up their efforts to combat the raging wildfires that have engulfed large swaths of land across the country this dry season.
"Only by diligently complying with all regulations will we be able to stay within the limits set by the presidential decree for this year," Kozlov told the operational headquarters.
Wildfires spread over a total area of 3.3 million hectares (8.2 million acres) in 2022, down from 10.1 million reported in the previous year. This year's goal is to limit wildfire-affected area to 5.5 million hectares, the head of Russian forestry agency Rosleshoz said.
Kozlov estimated that nine Russian regions had already exceeded their limits on wildfire areas, three of them by a factor of 10, with the mountainous Altay Territory exceeding its limit by 22.6 times, while the far eastern Magadan Region accounted for 38% of the areas affected by ongoing wildfires.
