Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 15
After five days of concerted efforts by personnel of various departments and volunteers from nearby villages, as well as air operations, the wildfire that threatened to ravage the ecosystem on Dzükou valley was brought under control on Sunday. Observations from both ground and aerial survey had suggested that no serious fire in the valley could be detected some time after noon today, forest department officials said. They also informed that inputs from the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) Hyderabad, which kept monitoring the situation through satellite data for the past few days, also corroborated the ground observations.
The volunteers and personnel who went into the valley early this morning have also returned, but a team from the forest department reportedly remained in the valley till late evening as a precautionary measure.
Although the ground and air efforts have been called off, the Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) has been assigned the responsibility to closely monitor the situation in the valley for the next few days.
Meanwhile, according to an official bulletin, the coordination committee for monitoring the Dzükou valley fire held a meeting at the base camp in Viswema towards evening and the committee has acknowledged the efforts of all government departments including 164 Naga Territorial Army and the IAF, local organizations particularly the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) and SAYO, press and electronic media and all those who have been involved with the fire management operations.
Addressing the meeting, the divisional forest officer Kohima, Sidramappa remarked that with the experience from the major fire incidence at Mt. Japfü last year, the Dzükou fire though more extensive, could be controlled within five days. He urged the SAPO and SAYO to investigate the cause of fire and identify the culprits at the earliest.
Director Tourism, Purakhu Angami said it was most unfortunate that Dzükou, the pride of all Nagas, was razed down. He called upon the SAPO and SAYO to frame strict measures to check such incidents from happening again in future.
The Minister for Forest, Environment & Wildlife, Dr. Neikesalie Nicky Kire and the state Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Lokeshwara Rao have also extended their appreciation to all those involved in controlling the fire on Dzükou valley.
