Sickles, sarees and smoke: Women on the frontlines of Uttarakhand forest fires

In Uttarakhand, a fire-prone Himalayan state where roughly 71% of land is forest, women have become the default firefighters, using sickles and homemade brooms to beat back flames while state-hired watchers are mostly paid men.

Migration has hollowed out villages as men leave for cities amid failing agriculture, leaving women, children and elders to spot fires, organize bucket lines and protect homes built close to the tree line.

Researchers note the fire season itself is lengthening, now bleeding into what used to be snow season, while the unpaid labor of extinguishing it continues to fall along the same old lines.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.