Mizoram Sees Rapid Land Degradation Due to Jhum Cultivation

Aizawl, Aug 14 : Mizoram has experienced land degradation at an alarming rate owing to the destructive slash-and-burn system of cultivation.

Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) has identified a total of 20.64 per cent of Mizoram as degraded land, which scientists said is alarming.

The findings stated that 28.18 per cent of Mizoram's geographical area was identified as temporary wasteland, project director of the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) RK Lallianthanga said here today.

The reports in 2003 had identified 21.21 per cent of the state as wasteland and the rate of increase was alarming, according to MRSAC, he said.

Dr Lallianthanga said four reports being completed by the MRSAC prepared through remote sensing pictures had been handed over to development departments under the state government.

The reports prepared in collaboration with the Shillong-based North East Space Application Centre, the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, and Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, were Wasteland Mapping, Land Degradation Mapping, Land-use Cover Mapping and Wasteland Inventory Assessment, he said.

The bamboo cover in Mizoram was 45.57 per cent, while actual dense forest cover was only 7.29 per cent and area covered under jhumming activities was around 47.4 per cent annually. The wetland area, rivers, lakes and ponds, were a mere 0.66 per cent, extremely small compared to the plain areas.