The growing instances of jungle fires in the city is a grim reminder of the fact that Delhi is drying up. Twenty two big and small fires were reported in the last 23 days from various parts of the city. In sharp contrast, only 11 such fires were reported during the month of April in 1999, 13 forest fires were reported in 2000 and 14 such fires were reported in 2001. Experts have indicated that the spell of dryness this year is much larger than the corresponding periods during the last few years.