India, March 30 -- The Uttarakhand forest department has begun reviving British-era firelines to prevent wildfires after receiving clearance from the Supreme Court, which had restricted tree felling above 1,000 metres altitude in a 1996 order.

Decades without tree felling or clearance of vegetation rendered these firelines ineffective, as they have become overgrown with dense vegetation that fails to halt spreading fires.

Firelines are strategically cleared strips of land in forests that serve as barriers against wildfire spread. These strips, devoid of vegetation and flammable materials, help slow or stop fires from advancing across forested areas. According to officials, they were initially established during the British colonial peri...