By: Maia Singham
Despite the recent rain and cooler conditions in Australia, there are still over 50 fires burning in New South Wales and Victoria. This comes after record-breaking temperatures and almost 7 months of severe drought across the whole of Australia. Unfortunately, a state of emergency has been pronounced by the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) authorities - due to hot and windy conditions being forecasted to return to New South Wales this weekend, worsening the huge bushfires just south of the capital of Canberra. Conditions are expected to worsen, as the annual summer will reach it’s peak temperatures soon. NSW Rural Fire Service expects the fires to spread south-east, as the wind changes direction
More than 27.2 million acres of land have been burnt across Australia, and this number is expected to rise. In addition, at least 33 people have been killed as a result of the fires, this includes four firefighters. The total number of animals affected by the fires could potentially be as high as a billion, with millions definitely dead.
New South Wales - the state which has suffered the most damage - has almost 5 million hectares of land affected and more than 2,000 houses have been destroyed. In NSW alone, almost 1,600 firefighters are working to slow the fires down. Australian capital Cranberra’s airport has been shut down after one of the five fires raging near the city, approached the premises.
In the state of Victoria, where more than 1.2 million hectares have been burnt, a state of disaster has been extended from the 2 - 11 of January. Meaning that it’s areas are eligible for emergency government aid. After the military stepped in to aid firefighters, troops, ships and aircraft have been sent to the region in order to relocate citizens or help firefighting efforts.
South Australia has also sustained severe damage, especially in places like Kangaroo Island where 2 people have been killed. Along with this, an estimated 25 thousand koalas have perished on the island itself. Additionally, a third of the vines that fuel the Adelaide Hills win industry has been destroyed by the South Australia fires.
The aftermath of the fires has also proved destructive, as air quality in places as far away as New Zealand have worsened as a result. According to AirVisual, Canberra’s air quality has been rated as the third-worst of all major cities globally.
The government has also faced some controversy regarding their response to the fires. During December, prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison faced serious backlash when on holiday in Hawaii during the first few weeks of the fires. He has also been accused of using the fires to gain support and only visiting affected areas as a publicity stunt.
Comentarios