Ignorance can no longer be justified

Imlisanen Jamir

As we celebrated our entry into 2021 with hope for a better year, there were those who were at the same time fighting to save one of Nagaland’s treasures. 

Segments of the fire which broke out in the Dzükou Valley on December 29 continue to spread. As per ground reports, while continuous firefighting efforts have ensured the safety of the main valley, the fire is yet to be completely doused.

These are the women and men from the Nagaland Police, administration, Forest Department, the NDRF, SDRF, the army, air force, the SAYO and the numerous community volunteers who are braving the cold and the wilderness to prevent the fire’s spread and eventually put it down. 

Firefighting efforts include cutting and removing trees and other sources of fuel for the fire; guiding the helicopter pilots who drop water; spending time digging fire breaks etc. For these to be successful, cooperation among communities and the state apparatus is essential to prevent and recover from disasters of all sorts.

Meanwhile, according to the Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO), it is making attempts to trace ‘trespassers’ suspected to have caused the fire on December 29. Around 10 square kilometres of the wilderness has already been damaged so far.

During a press conference on January 3, the SAYO informed that while entry to the valley was banned this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of trespassing have occurred.

According to a 2018 agreement between the State Governments of Manipur and Nagaland, only two routes would be allowed for entry into the valley which straddles the border between the two states. However, according to the SAYO, people continue to violate the rules and regulations.

For years now, fires at Dzükou have become a regular occurrence. While natural manifestations of wildfires require environmental protection efforts, disconcertingly many of these incidences are suspected to be due to people’s carelessness. 

People–nature interface has always been difficult to manage, and in certain contexts does pose a trade-off to policy makers. But research providing better understanding of the complexities of human–environmental connections can inform policy interventions and should ultimately guide our policies.

This is the only way for policy makers to be able to learn lessons from any given intervention and improve efforts going forward.

Rather than considering clearing floors in order to prevent and better cope with wildfires, affected regions should perhaps look at viable environmentally oriented interventions that create long-term opportunities for communities to stay safe and thrive.

As these are being worked out, we cannot afford to let human stupidity, carelessness and neglect be causes for damaging one of the most pristine habitats in the region. Campers and hikers need to develop a sense of responsibility. Ignorance can no longer be justified.

Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com