1,300 forest fires reported in Mizoram in 2020
- Country:
- India
Around 1,300 forest fires werereported in Mizoram last year, officials said.
Around 1,090 incidents were caused due to slash-and-burn 'jhum' cultivation and only 210 were due to naturalcauses, they said.
Addressing a programme here on Monday during theobservance of fire prevention week, Chief SecretaryLalnunmawia Chuaungo said a large section of agriculturists inthe state still practices 'jhum' cultivation despiteinterventions by successive governments to introduce settledfarming.
In view of this, awareness of fire prevention is ofutmost importance, he said.
He lauded organisations like the Young MizoAssociation (YMA) and village councils for working withgovernment agencies to prevent the eruption of fires.
Environment Minister T J Lalnuntluanga, whileaddressing a programme in Champhai, said that an afforestationdrive funded by the North East Council will be launched in thedistrict.
As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR)-2019released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Mizoram has aforest cover of 85.41 per cent, down from 86.26 per cent in2017.
Champhai district has the lowest forest cover at 78.09per cent.
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