A forest fire raged across two districts of south Mizoram since the early hours of April 24, 2021. Firefighters have not been able to completely douse it and it was reportedly spreading to towns and villages of two neighbouring districts, Lunglei and Lawngtlai.
State government fire-fighters along with Assam Rifles and Border Security Force personnel were trying to put out the blaze. The Indian Air Force deployed two Mi-17V5 helicopters to. These helicopters are equipped with specialised Bambi Buckets to control fire.
Aizawl and Lunglei are among 29 most fire-prone districts in India. The Global Forest Watch has reported 1,604 fire alerts in Mizoram in 2021. This total is unusually high compared to the total for previous years going back to 2012.
Jhum (slash and burn farming), collection of non-timber forest produce, burning farm residues and clearance of land for various purposes are the major reasons for the forest fire.
Mizoram has a forest cover of 85.41 per cent of their total geographical area, which is highest in India. From 2002 to 2020, primary forests in Mizoram decreased by 4.8 per cent.
No casualty was reported due to the fire.
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