Lunglei, one of the Mizoram districts affected by a forest fire April 24, is among the most fire-prone in India
Exhausted firefighters pause for a rest in Lunglei town in Mizoram. Photo: Twitter Handle of Mizoram CM, Zoramthanga
The Indian Air Force will send two of its helicopters to quell a forest fire raging across two districts of south Mizoram since 7 am April 24, 2021, according to media reports April 25.
“On the requisition of the State Government of Mizoram, @IAF_MCC is deploying two Mi-17V5 helicopters, equipped with Bambi Bucket, to douse the major fire in Lunglei district and adjoining areas,” the Twitter handle of the Union Defence Ministry PRO tweeted April 25 evening.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga tweeted in response.
There have been no casualties reported as of now. The Indian Express reported that firefighters from the state government as well as Assam Rifles and Border Security Force Personnel had been trying to put out the fire.
Fire-prone
The Mizoram districts of Aizwal and Lunglei were among 29 most fire-prone districts in India, according to Forest Fire Disaster Management 2014, a report prepared by the National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi in 2014.
Four districts of the state — Lunglei, Mamit, Aizawl and Champhai — were ranked among the top 20 districts in India according to the total number of fire detections for the period 2003-2016. Lunglei recorded 13,453 fire detections in this period. This is according to the report Strengthening Forest Fire Management in India that was brought out by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change along with the World Bank in 2018.
The state’s fire season is from February to May. However, the maximum incidents of fire are reported in the months of April and May, according to the 2014 report.
Major reasons for forest fires in the state include the practice of jhum (slash and burn or shifting cultivation), collection of non-timber forest produce, burning farm residues and clearance of land for various purposes.
There have been 1,604 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) fire alerts reported so far in 2021 in Mizoram by the Global Forest Watch, an open-source monitoring application.
This total is unusually high compared to the total for previous years going back to 2012. The most fires recorded in a year in Mizoram were 1,818 in 2015.
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