The state of Mizoram, which is known for its serene hills and lush forests, has been recording extreme climate levels. The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was at 34 degrees celsius, as against 22 degrees celsius recorded last year on April 18.
According to a report in The Frontier Despatch, in a PIL at Gauhati High Court’s Aizawl Bench, the Forest department stated that over 7.27 crore trees were planted in Mizoram between 2007 and 2022, i.e., the last 15 years. However, the official record of trees felled in the same period was 4.52 lakh, leaving a balance of at least 7.22 crore trees besides those already standing. As per reports, between 2007 and 2021, the area covered by ‘forests’ and trees in Mizoram shrunk by at least 976 sq km.
Social activist and environmentalist Vanramchhuangi, also known as Ruatfela Nu, has written various articles expressing concern over environmental degradation leading to climate change impact.
“Since National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) started their construction works around 2018, they have destroyed the environment. So much of the forest cover was taken down in violation of environmental rules and this is our fault. It is our fault because we did not take action to protect our forests and only sought development. Our ancestral laws have provisions for forest conversation but we do not uphold those laws anymore,” she told EastMojo.
She also commented on the refugee influx, saying their actions have had an impact on the environment. “The refugees who have entered Mizoram are using chainsaws to cut down trees. The forest areas in Lawngtlai are being affected, the sound of electric chainsaws can be heard from miles. The wood that’s cut down is smuggled into Bangladesh,” she said.
“See, even states like Arunachal are covered by large forest areas. But their forests have not dried up like ours, it is lush green. It is because they have followed environmental rules,” she said.
However, Dr. Aldrin Malsawmtluanga, Scientific Officer at the Directorate of Science and Technology told EastMojo there are no major changes.
“There is no major change. The temperature had crossed 30 degree celsius on April 25 last year while this year, the temperature started crossing 30 degree celsius around April 9. This year, the temperature crossed 30 degree celsius two weeks earlier than last year,” Malsawmtluanga said.
The highest temperature in Mizoram was recorded in the year 2017, when it was 36.5 degrees by April 13.
“It is only a matter of when it will rain, we are expecting rain soon,” Malsawmtluanga said.
Commenting on the impacts of climate change, the scientific officer said, “We have to study the temperature of 10, 20 or 30 years to understand its impact. We cannot say what we have done today has had this measure of impact. The whole world shares this climate, and the actions cannot be accounted to this place alone. As per predictions, there can be no heatwave in Mizoram. There are heatwaves in the gangetic plains and in Orissa and other places but it will not take place in the Northeast as per the predictions of the India Metereological Department.”
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As per the State Level Vulnerability Index compiled by Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India in a study titled, Vulnerability Assessment for the Indian Himalayan Region Using a Common Framework, Mizoram was the second most vulnerable state in regards to the impacts of climate change.
“The state has very high sensitivity of agriculture sector along with poor connectivity, access to information and infrastructure. The state has seven major drivers of vulnerability – highest yield variability, no area under crop insurance, largest area under open forests, and largest area under slope >30% as compared to other states. It also has the second lowest percentage area under irrigation and the third lowest road density among the 12 states. A glance at the normalized values of the sub-indicators show that agricultural sensitivity and lack of access are two major drivers leading to lack of adaptive capacity of the state,” the report says.
Last year, Mizoram’s youth environment group, Youth for Environment Justice Mizoram (YEJM) accused the Forest Department of Mizoram of failing to act despite witnessing that NHIDCL continued to violate environmental laws. The youth group wrote a memorandum to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, accusing the NHIDCL of putting up fake spoil bank signs.
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