In response to an alarming 413 forest fire incidents recorded in Manipur’s Chandel district in 2026, the local Forest Department has intensified prevention and safety measures by conducting an extensive community mock drill. The exercise was organized on November 7 by the Office of the Divisional Forest Officer, Chandel, in collaboration with the Manipur Fire Service Department, focusing on vulnerable forest tracts adjoining the villages of Chandelpokpi and Monshang Pantha.
The field demonstration was led jointly by Range Forest Officer N. Deepa and Chandel Fire Service Officer-in-Charge Kamei Dany Rongmei. The initiative drew strong community involvement, bringing together village chiefs, elders, local residents, students, and forest department personnel to study practical wildfire management and coordinated response strategies.
Addressing the gathering, Divisional Forest Officer Dr. N. Munal Meitei underscored the increasing susceptibility of local forests to infernos and their destructive consequences for regional biodiversity, medicinal flora, wildlife habitats, and crucial water catchment areas. Citing official Forest Survey of India records, Dr. Meitei highlighted that approximately 230 square kilometres of Chandel district’s forest cover was lost to wildfires between 2010 and 2025.
Dr. Meitei identified uncontrolled burning, the clearing of agricultural lands with open flame, and operations tied to poppy cultivation as the primary drivers behind the escalating fire frequency. Emphasizing the need for institutional preparedness paired with community vigilance, he announced that similar proactive drills would soon be conducted across the Chakpikarong and Khengjoi subdivisions.
Concluding the program, the forest officer appealed to village authorities, civil society groups, student bodies, Meira Paibis, and the general public to actively participate in conservation efforts, stressing that preventing devastating forest blazes requires sustained, collective action from all local stakeholders.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/manipur/story/manipurs-chandel-lost-230-sq-km-of-forest-to-fires-between-2010-and-2025-dfo-1472489-2026-11-07?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-11-07 12:51:00
