Dzukou Valley

Context: Recently, the government officials have said that the wildfire at Dzukou Valley straddling the Manipur-Nagaland border has been doused after it raged for two weeks.

About Dzukou Valley

• It sits high amongst the clouds, at 2,452 meters above sea level, straddling the border of Nagaland and Manipur in northeast India.
• The Dzukou Valley is known for its natural environment, seasonal flowers, and flora and fauna.
• The word Dzukou is originally derived from the Viswema dialect of the Angamis 'Dzukou' which loosely translated means 'Soulless and Dull' referring to when some ancestors of Viswema.
• It is home to the Angami people.
• The Dzukou valley is also a sanctuary for the endangered Blyth's tragopan (Nagaland's State bird) and other species of birds and animals.
• There are no human habitations within the forests, but they are home to rare and ‘vulnerable’ (as per the IUCN Red List) birds - Blyth’s Tragopan (Nagaland’s state bird), the Rufous-necked Hornbill and the Dark-rumped Swift, among many others. Also found in the forests are endangered Western Hoolock Gibbons.
• It is covered with bamboo and other grass species. The valley harbours many species of flowering plants including the endemic Dzukou Lily- Lilium chitrangada.

By: Shubham Tiwari