Wildfire breaks out at Dzukou valley at Nagaland-Manipur border; IAF joins relief efforts

A massive forest fire has broken out at the Dzukou valley which is situated on the border of Manipur and Nagaland. The valley is a popular tourist spot and is famous for its bio-diversity, which has been impacted now due to the fire breakout. On Wednesday Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh tweeted about the incident and called it unfortunate.

"Very unfortunate that a wildfire has started at the Dzuko Valley, one of the most beautiful places in Manipur. It probably started about 2-3 days ago from the Nagaland side and crossed over to our side"  

On Thursday, Defence PRO (Shillong) Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh informed that the Eastern Air Command (EAC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Shillong has launched a Mi-17V5 Helicopter to assist in the battle against the wildfire. "The helicopter is equipped with Bambi Bucket for fire fighting in Dzukou Valley near Kohima," he further added.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh informed that the fire has already crossed Mount ESIi, the highest peak of Manipur seeking help from concerned authorities.

Earlier, in 2006 a major fire wiped out a 20-km stretch of Southern Dzukou. Another devastating fire on November 2018 had already damaged a portion of the valley.