Japfu fire is India’s first forest action with choppers

EMN
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 5

THE scene of the ongoing forest fire along the lush swathes of Mount Japfu in Kohima district is the first time in the history of India that helicopters are being used to combat forest fire. More interestingly, the helicopter in focus is none other than the newly-inducted Russian Mi-17 V5 helicopter, a military utility-and-combat aerial machine that the Indian Air Force is testing for the first time in Nagaland.
With two of the IAF’s helicopter fighting the fire alongside local community members, the district administration of Kohima, security and a number of the state’s emergency services, a major part of the fire has been brought under control, the Ministry of Defense has said Wednesday.
“It would be pertinent to note that this is the first time in the history of our country that helicopter are being utilized for fighting forest fires. In addition to being instrumental in containing a potentially catastrophic environmental disaster, presence of IAF helicopter is a veritable morale booster for the local populace,” the Ministry of Defense, Government of India, said in a news update on Wednesday, February 5.
Till a few days ago, a local source from the region where the fire rages said, volunteers were fighting back the fire with whatever they could find including leafy boughs or with whatever little water that could be had in the area.
The forest area is largely isolated and far from help, and locked by ragged hilly terrain. While not undermining the efforts of the local populace and state’s agencies, the Mi-17 V5 helicopter’s tremendous water carriage-capability may have helped greatly in easing the magnitude of the fire, and in controlling its range from spreading.
A source told this newspaper that the fire had ebbed on the frontal eastern areas of the Japfu range, and has moved towards the southern regions now.
The IAF responded to Nagaland government’s request for help in containing the fire, by pressing the Mi-17 V5 into action. The aerial vehicle had an appendage called the Forest Fire Fighting Equipment, fondly called “The Bambi Bucket”, a water carrier which was used in the Japfu mission. The helicopter was positioned at the Rangapahar military station, in Dimapur, on February 3 and commenced operations from February 4.
The first sortie for the helicopter was in carrying out a detailed aerial assessment of the general area, the extent of the fire and most importantly, an open source of water. “Having identified a small lake near Dimapur as the source, the helicopter dunked a collapsible Bambi Bucket in the lake and hauled up about 2500 kg of water… dispensed its load of 2,500 kgs of water over the raging fires below, at a height of almost 10000 ft. The task was even more arduous owing to the restricted area from where the water was picked up and the strong winds of 40-60 kmph with the attendant turbulence,” the ministry said in its newsletter.
“While the efforts put in by the government of Nagaland to contain the fires have fructified in certain areas, a large portion of forested area east of Mt Japfu is largely inaccessible by foot and continues to smolder,” the defense ministry said.
It was informed that so far the helicopter had undertaken five sorties, and with its colossal water carriage capability, helped in dowsing a major phase of the fire. By the end of the day, about 25, 000 kg of water has been dropped over the affected area, the updates said.
Owing to the extent of the fire, and the destruction caused by it, the Indian Air Force decided to press in another Mi-17 V5 for the task on February 5. The two military helicopters undertook three more sorties by noon on February 5.
The helicopter – in the category of armed combat as well as emergency utility vehicle – was inducted into the Indian Air Force only in 2012. The participation of the IAF’s new helicopter in the battles against the blazes along Mount Japfu is quite apt – the Mi-17 V5 is considered among those in the higher-rungs of engine power and carriage capability at higher altitudes. A major part of the fire has been brought under control, the ministry has said.

Mount Japfü fire subsides on Day-7

Correspondent
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 6

THE widespread forest fire at Mount Japfü range which raged for a week, burning down the pristine forests in the area, is said to be dying out and the fire monitoring teams observed that there is no active fire in and around the twin peaks late Thursday.
This after hundreds of youth volounteers, forest staff, army and police persistently kept up the fight to bring the fire under control. The gravity of the incident also saw the deployment of IAF chopper dousing the flames on the mountain with gallons of water fetched from a pond in Dimapur town for two consecutive days making several sorties.
According to the District Forest Officer (DFO) Kohima, a meeting of the core committee formed to decide the ground strategy to control the forest fire around Mount Japfü was held at the base camp at Pony Farm, Kigwema this evening and based on the observations of the monitoring teams, it is “presumed” that there is no active fire going on in the area. Therefore, he said, it has been decided that the operations on ground will be suspended for the moment. However, the situation will be monitored closely and if there is any sign of fire again the committee will reorganize manpower and logistics to control it, the DFO said.
Meanwhile, the forest department and the core committee have acknowledged the efforts of all the individuals, departments, organizations and villages involved for their collective efforts in bringing down the forest wildfire which broke out January 30 evening.
Even as efforts from all quarters were on to fight the fire in the mountain, elders were heard to have remarked that a mountain fire lasts for seven days. And indeed, the fire in Mt Japfii which began on January 30 was brought under control seven days later on February 6th.
Is it a case of wisdom of the ages or a matter of co incidence can be a matter of debate. But, the immeasurable loss of biodiversity and impact on human life in the near future caused by the fire calls for a hard look at prevailing practices and attitude towards natural heritage sites and demands realistic measures which will check and curb the occurrence of such accidents, lately increasing in worrying frequency.