Experts have said that black carbon from the smoke and ash is covering the glaciers and may cause them to melt faster.
The glaciers are the lifeline of major rivers flowing through northern India. The water in the rivers could also be polluted by harmful chemicals, experts fear.
While larger animals such as tigers, elephants, deer and wild boars have for ages managed to steer clear of fires and make their way to safer grounds, the real loss to our biodiversity is to birds which lay eggs on shrubs and their young ones who cannot escape the inferno,