The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully doused the wildfire in Arunachal Pradesh's Walong, said IAF in a post on X on Wednesday, February 18. IAF had deployed heavy-lift choppers in treacherous terrain and extreme flying conditions, according to the ANI.
Helicopters of the IAF lifted a total of 139,800 litres of water to douse blaze affected area in Walong forest. IAF said it had battle fire at two fronts, one in Arunachal Pradesh and the second over the Dzukou Valley in Nagaland, where Mi-17 V5 helicopters are drawing water from Padumpokhiri Lake near Dimapur to tackle fires close to Japfu Peak.
Giving an update about missions, IAF said, "Indian Air Force helicopters are battling wildfires at two fronts, conducting relentless aerial firefighting missions in challenging terrain. At Walong, Arunachal Pradesh, a total of 139,800 litres of water has been dropped, successfully extinguishing the blaze. Simultaneously, operations continue over Dzukou Valley in Nagaland with Mi-17 V5 helicopters drawing water from Padumpokhiri Lake (Dimapur) to battle fires near Japfu Peak amid steep slopes, poor visibility and rarefied air."
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The officials are facing steep slopes, poor visibility, and rarefied air, making the aerial missions challenging. Meanwhile, Air Vice Marshal Ajay Kunnath on Tuesday said that the Indian Air Force should shift how it uses technology for air operations, highlighting the importance of how such operations function in a "zero-error" environment.