Bhubaneswar: The State of Odisha has witnessed a rapid rise in diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes such as mining, irrigation, industry, commercial and public infrastructure projects.
When it comes to diversion of forest land for the aforesaid projects, the State ranks high at number 2 in the country. Only Madhya Pradesh is ahead of Odisha in rapid conversion for forest land for non-forest purposes.
Consider the following to ascertain the rapid rate of diversion in the State.
As per data available with the State Forest Department, prior to the year 2014, the State saw diversion of as high as 41, 516 hectares of forest land for non-forest purposes.
On the contrary, the data available with PARIVESH shows that during the period of 2014-2024, the State had recorded a massive 24,458.89 hectares forest land to various non forest purposes.
If the above numbers be seen in the prism of average land diversion per year, the figure of diversion rate looks eye-popping.
Because, when prior to the year 2014, the rate of forest land diversion had been around 669 hectares per year, the number during the last 10-yr period stands at a whopping around 2,446 hectares per year.
ODISHA URBANISATION PACE UP
How rapid has been the urbanisation in Odisha can be ascertained from the fact of forest land diversion for commercial and infrastructure projects in the last 10-yr period.
According to the data available, Odisha had recorded forest land diversion to the tune of 7,703.46ha for commercial and infrastructure projects during the last 10 year period.
Thus, the diversion for commercial and infra projects alone account for nearly one-third (31.5%) of the total forest land diversion for infra and commercial projects during the last 10-yr period.
On this account too, the State ranks high at 2nd in the country.
IMPACT OF FOREST LAND DIVERSION
Even as the forest land diversion has been skyrocketing in the State, the Forest Survey of India report 2023 has measured a rise State’s green cover.
According to the ISFR 2023 report, Odisha ranks 3rd in the country for recording a rise in forest and tree cover. The State has been ranked number 3 in the country for witnessing a rise in the forest cover.
As per the report, Odisha has added 559 sqkm to its forest and tree cover. Similarly, the State saw a rise of 151 sqkm of forest cover between 2021 and 2023.
The ISFR 2023 report states the following.
- Odisha Forest Cover: 52,433.56 sq km
- Odisha Tree cover: 6.163.45 sq km
However, as per the data available with the State Forest Department, Odisha’s total forest area in the earlier years had been a massive 61,204.17sq km. A high of over 39% of geographical land in the State were under forests.
But the ISFR report 2019 had estimated the forest cover in Odisha at 51,619 sq km, occupying around 33% of the State’s geographical land.
The above number crunching shows the State had lost a whopping 10,000 sq km of forest between 1952 and 2019.
The 2023 data shows an accretion in forest cover.
DEVIL IN DETAILS
Though the ISFR 2023 has measured a rise in the forest covers of the State as a whole, the devil lies in the details.
The same ISFR 2023 has indentified the districts that have recorded a drop in forest cover, and the districts are the ones that are mine-rich in nature or have witnessed large scale industrialisation/urbanisation. A total of 11 districts have recorded a drop in forest cover in 2023 vis-a-vis 2021. Major drops given below.
- Kalahandi – massive 61.94% forest cover down vis-a-vis 2021.
- Keonjhar – high of over 30.9% fall
- Sambalpur – 31.27% fall
- Sundargarh – 17.4% fall
- Malkangiri – 12.34% fall
- Gajapati – 11.63% fall
- Angul – 5.56%
MAJOR FOREST DIVERSION PURPOSE
The data available with State Forest Department shows that forest diversion for mining purposes have been highest in the State. It is followed by Irrigation, power transmission and railways (many new and expansion of railways projects have been taken up during the last 10-years).
As per the data, out of 24,448 ha forest diversion in the State during the last 10 years, it includes the 1,524.17 ha of forest land diverted for the Brutanga Irrigation project in year 2024.
