Wildlife And Habitat Protection Society (WAHPS)  has been making Fire Line with the objective of protecting trees and plants from wildfire at the Punsilok hill range, Langol Imphal West. The week long annual Fireline making for the year 2022 has been completed today. 

Volunteers of WAHPS camped at the hilltop for the last seven days clearing vegetation at the periphery of the forest. A fireline is a gap in the vegetation that is 20 to 30 meters in width and length it encircles the hilltop and certain areas from the hilltop to the foothill.

The volunteers worked from the morning till evening with lunch breaks and small breaks. It is a selfless service and numerous volunteers take part in the annual Fireline making. Many times Fireline initiated by WAHPS saved the forest area at the Punsilok Langol Hill range. Besides every year many wild forests outbreak takes place at the Langol Hill range. The volunteers of WAHPS who came from different areas of Imphal and other districts would rush to the hilltop whenever a wildfire outbreak takes place. They would stand at the fireline and be ready to firefight if the wildfire crosses the fireline.

So far, in the last two decades, the fireline has acted as an auto cut to wildfire outbreaks and wildfire recedes from the fireline point saving the trees at the hilltop and the neighboring hill ranges from catching fire. In two incidents wildfire crossed the fireline and volunteers had to firefight in preventing the wildfire from spreading further in the conservation area.

In the Punsilok Langol Hill Area, most of the wildfire outbreaks started from the foothills due to negligence, ignorance, and stresses of livelihood. In one incident police apprehended some people who were involved in making wildfire outbreak.

For WAHPS activity of making firelines, it is done in the winter season, before the windy season. Wildfire outbreak occurs frequently during the winter season. The outbreak of wildfire is larger during the windy season. WAHPS is a nonprofit volunteer organization founded in the year 2002. For the last two decades, the organization has planted different indigenous trees and plants in the Punsilok Forest, Langol Hills besides making an annual fireline.

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