31 December 2020.

Introduction:

Dzukou Valley is one of the most beautiful places in Manipur. It has been engulfed by a wild fire which started from the Nagaland side. The exact cause of fire is not yet known.

Highlights :

• The Indian Air Force has  been deployed by the Nagaland Government to tame the massive wildfire in Dzukou Valley.
•   Helicopters  equipped with Bambi Bucket  are being used for fire-fighting in Dzukou Valley .
• Strong winds and ambient dryness are said to be the factors behind the fire spreading fast.
• Dzukou Valley is prone to wildfires. 
• The last major incident was in 2006 when a 20-km stretch of the southern part of Dzukou was affected.
• Dzukou, about 30 km from Kohima, is a sanctuary for the endangered Blyth’s tragopan – Nagaland’s State Bird – and other species of birds and animals.

States prone to Forest fires in India:

According to Forest Survey of India, 2020, the forests of following states are prone to forest fires:

• Chhattisgarh.
• Mizoram
•  Manipur,
• Madhya Pradesh
• Odisha .

Detection of forest fires in India:

 

• Forest fire is detected in India by the MODIS and VIIRS instruments (installed on satellites),.
•  This information is passed to the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
•  The FSI analyses the data overlaying the digitised boundaries and pinpoints the location to the exact forest department.
• The Divisional Forest Officer in charge of the forest is then informed about the raging fire.
•  It takes two hours in spotting the fire and reaching the Divisional Forest Officer.
• The time lapse has been reduced from six hours to two hours because the frequency of the two satellites orbiting the earth has increased from twice daily to two hours daily.

About MODIS and VIIRS:

• MODIS is Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer of NASA.
• VIIRS is Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite.
•  According to Forest Survey of India, MODIS detected 29,547 fires in India.
•  MODIS is Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer.
• The VIIRS provides data on clouds, ocean colour, sea surface temperature, polar winds, aerosols, forest fires, snow and ice.
• The MODIS instrument is placed in two NASA satellites such as Terra and Aqua.
• The VIIRS is placed on the Suomi NPP satellite. Suomi NPP is Suomi National Polar orbiting Partnership launched by NASA.