NDRF, IAF choppers continue to battle wildfire in Nagaland's Dzukou valley
As many as 60 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were on Saturdaydeployed to extinguish the wildfire in the scenic Dzukou range in Nagaland's Kohima district. The wildfire broke out in Dzukou range in which the majestic Dzukou valley, a tourist hot spot in Nagaland is located, on Tuesday afternoon. On Friday, authorities had deployed an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter for the firefighting mission at the Dzuko valley, along with a C-130J Hercules aircraft, which airlifted 9 tonnes load with 48 NDRF personnel from Guwahati to Dimapur.
According to a statement by the IAF, it has deployed three more helicopters equipped with Bambi bucket.
OSD of Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority, Johnny Raungmei said IAF choppers were used on Thursday to make an aerial survey of the fire.
Personnel of the Forest department, Fire and Emergency Services, SDRF, police and volunteers of Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) tried to douse the fire on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor RN Ravi visited Dzukou valley on Wednesday, a Raj Bhavan release issued on Thursday said.
During his visit, Ravi had a first-hand assessment of the intensity of the devastating fire in the trekking route to the valley and the extent of the destruction, it said.
The absence of a functional Standard Operating Protocol to effectively respond to such a disaster has aggravated the situation, the release said.
The Governor lauded the effort of the SAYO volunteers and the policemen who, in an extremely adverse ground condition, are battling the raging fire to contain it from further spreading.
Further, the Governor has urged the state government to immediately frame an appropriate SOP including a satellite-based real-time early warning system to prevent the recurrence of such a disaster.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
