48 hours on, forest fires rage across Mizoram
Massive forest fires that broke out on Saturday and continued to rage till Monday have affected several parts of Mizoram and damaged vast tracts of land, satellite images have revealed. No human casualty has been reported so far.
According to a satellite data assessment by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), there were as many as 2,671 forest fire points in the state between April 20 and 26, with over 400 points on Monday alone. NASA’S Earthdata website also showed a very large concentration of fires in and around the state both on Sunday and Monday.
Speaking to chief minister Zoramthanga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured all possible assistance to deal with the situation. “Spoke to Mizoram CM, Mr Zoramthanga and took stock of the situation arising due to forest fires in parts of the state. Assured all possible support from the Centre in overcoming the crisis,” Modi tweeted.
The chief minister later thanked Modi and even tweeted a video of an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper with bambi buckets (used for aerial firefighting), trying to douse the flames. “I thank the Central Government for its prompt assurance and swift action. The people of #Mizoram says ‘Kan lawm e,” Zoramthanga posted on Twitter. The forest fire reportedly broke out at Saisih forest area in the outskirts of Lunglei town between 6 am and 7 am on Saturday and spread to Lunglei town on Sunday, Lunglei district deputy commissioner M Misael told news agency PTI.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the states of Mizoram and Tripura recorded “large deficiency” in rainfall during the pre-monsoon period from March 1 to April 26 at 74% and 67% below normal.
“There were over 400 forest fires today. Several factors may have led to this. They (forests) have large bamboo plantations and bamboo leaves are highly inflammable. When there is less moisture and high fuel load in the form of dry leaves and twigs on the forest floor, fire catches easily and spreads rapidly,” Sunil Chandra, deputy director (Forest Geoinformatics Division) of FSI, said.