Kohima: Three days ago, a fire in the Jukou (Djiko) valley spread throughout Nagaland and Manipur. Since then, it has spread over the mountains, including Manipur’s highest peak, Mount Esii. On Friday, two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters from the Eastern Air Command were sent in to contain the fire.
The surrounding landscape was severely damaged by the fire, according to officials. (AFP/Representative photo) IAF helicopters conducted multiple raids, but the cloudy weather prevented aerial counterfire operations from continuing until late afternoon, according to officials.
The surrounding landscape was severely damaged by the fire, according to officials.
According to the report that Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kohima B. Henok Buchem told HT, the ground surveillance team has returned from the fire site and a review meeting has been held to evaluate the situation.
“The main Dzükou valley has not yet been affected by the fire. The Dzükou helipad area is where the fire is mainly concentrated, and it is spreading slowly. Control is anticipated to be reached with continued active intervention by IAF helicopters, and operations will resume tomorrow, according to the DC.
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The monitoring team will keep an eye on things and evaluate the situation from the site in the interim.
Officials said on Thursday that containment efforts are being carried out by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, fire department, and several civil society organizations.
Nasanji Lake in Seminyoo district and Padampukhuri Lake in Dimapur have been identified as potential water sources for aerial firefighting systems.
Authorities said the fire in the valley, which was moving towards Manipur, had been brought under control but was still burning slowly. “We are on high alert as coordinated efforts to contain the fire continue,” a spokesperson said.
A large portion of the scenic valley on the west side was destroyed by a wildfire in December last year. Unregistered trekkers in the valley are said to have been to blame for the fire.
The Dzükou Valley, surrounded by mountain ranges covered in forest thickets, is extremely important ecologically and socially because it serves as a catchment area for many rivers and streams that originate in the valley and surrounding mountain ranges. A thick carpet of monocot bamboo (Arundinaria sp.) covers the majority of the valley and its surrounding hill slopes. The state bird of Nagaland, the rare and endemic Blythes tragopan, finds its home and breeding grounds in the valley’s northern forests.
The rare ecosystem made up of surrounding valleys and mountain peaks is a popular tourist destination.
Similar fires devastated an area of about 8–10 square kilometers in the Kaleidoscopic Valley in 2015 and 2020. In order to support ground forces, the IAF joined the firefight as a result of these events.
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