Kohima: Nagaland must stop just fighting fires and start stopping them. Principal Secretary Y Kikheto Sema delivered this directive November 13 at the Forest Office Complex in Dimapur. The two-day workshop on the Mitigation of Forest Fires, hosted by the State Environment and Forestry Training Institute and the Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, focuses on the upcoming dry season.
Sema warned that the state cannot manage this crisis alone. Coordination is mandatory. He told attendees, "The Forest Department alone cannot do it. Whether it is biodiversity, whether it is wildlife, whether it is forest fire, we should coordinate with all the line departments." This includes village councils, youth groups, women’s groups, and the district administration.
Land ownership remains a major hurdle. Under Article 371A, the government controls less than 5 percent of the state land. This reality makes community partnerships essential. The state lost 795 square kilometers of forest between 2013 and 2023. This is one of the highest decline rates in India. Unsystematic jhum cultivation and hunting drive this destruction, ruining soil and water conservation efforts.
Conservator of Forests Lhinghoikim Touthang emphasized that avoiding ignition is the only true solution. Once fires spread, the damage to biodiversity and infrastructure is already locked in. Touthang pointed to the 2014-15 Dzükou Valley blaze as a grim reminder of how burning debris travels downhill to spark new fires. She stressed the importance of vulnerability mapping and fire lines.
SEFTI Director Rampaukai noted that the program is funded under the Mitigation of Forest Fire Risk Management scheme. It aims to equip field officers with technical skills to train local residents. Participants will learn how to combine traditional practices with satellite data from the Forest Survey of India and the state’s own GIS and Remote Sensing unit.
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