The fire in Dzukou Valley, which started on December 29, 2020, has been finally been brought 'under control', reported Northeast Now quoting the Divisional Forest Officer of Kohima Rajkumar M.

The fire might have been brought 'under control' and only time will tell about the ecological damage it has done to the valley.

Adding salt to the injury, an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was found dead inside a base camp in the hills near the valley in Manipur on January 5, 2021.

He was a member of one of the seven NDRF teams that were deployed in the area to fight the wildfire and bring it under control.

The deceased has been identified as Nongthombam Binoy Meetei and he was a resident of Luwangshangbam Maning Leikai in Imphal East District in Manipur.

Some say jungle fire at this of the year is natural, while a few believe jungle fires are the way through which mother Nature vents out her anger on humans for the crime we have committed.

Jorhat-based engineer-cum-photo enthusiast Dhruba Jyoti Baruah is one among the few who feels that the Dzukou Valley fire is the nature's way of replying.

"I have been to Dzukou Valley for seven times since 2015. The first time I visited the place, I was mesmerised and absorbed by the tranquillity of the place," he said interacting with The Story Mug.

"Not many people used to visit the valley back then and once there, we were completely cut out of the world. There was no mobile network or any other modern amenities," he added.

"The stillness of the place made me realise what life is all about! Life is just us and Nature and nothing else," he added.

"Nature has given birth to us and we are just a small part of nature. We are neither stronger nor better than Nature," he further said.

"However, in my successive visits I noticed that the freshness of the place was gradually depleting and with more visitors coming in, Dzukou Valley was turning to a mini trash bin," he bemoaned.

Garbage at Dzukou Valley. Courtesy: Dhruba Jyoti Baruah

"Empty liquor bottles, waste food, plastic packets, packets of chips etc. gradually filled up the place and it turned filthy," he added.

"Earlier, we had to buy everything at Kohima as there were no shops there at Dzukou Valley. However, these days we see shops selling maggie, noodles and other stuff," he said.

"The commercialisation of the valley has destroyed its serene beauty and we can see an imbalance out there. If we play with nature, we will have to bear the consequences," he further said

"I strongly believe that the fire in Dzukou Valley is nature's revenge against the atrocities we have carried out," he said with a sense of strong conviction.

"The fire has broke out at the Dzukou Valley base camp, some 45 minutes to one hour ahead of reaching the main valley point. I believe the fire would scare the people a bit and the excessive crowd would come down in the days to come," he said.

"Visiting is one thing and littering it another and we don't have the right to litter such a magnificent place like Dzukou Valley. We destroyed nature and now nature is taking the revenge," he reiterated.

"Once the fire douses, nature will again come into its full bloom and the shrubs and the trees will grow again," he said.

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