Min seeks central help to control forest fires
- Bhubaneswar: Union education and skill development minister Dharmendra Prahan on Monday met Union Forest and environment minister Bhupendra Yadav and sought his intervention in controlling the ongoing forest fire incidents in the state.
- Dhamendra met the environment minister in New Delhi and submitted a letter seeking action. "Held a mee to draw his attention towards increasing incidents of forest fires and the resultant loss of flora and fauna in Odisha," Pradhan stated after the meeting.
- In the letter, Pradhan said Odisha has 51,619 sq km of forest cover with a significant portion categorized as extremely fire-prone, very highly fire-prone, highly fire-prone and moderately fire-prone. This includes the Simlipal National Park, India's 7the largest national park, he stated.
- A prolonged dry spell since October 2022 and accumulation of inflammable materials such as dry leaves across forests in Odisha has led to large-scale forest fires across the state. Forest fires continue to rage in Odisha after the state recorded 642 large fire incidents from March 2 to 9, he said.
- He stated that the number of fire incidents in the state between March 2 and 9 was the highest in the country, according to the Forest Survey of India. On March 9, the eastern state recorded 96 major fires in different forest also the highest in the country, the minister said.
- The minister further stasis. ted that as on today, there are 1,840 cases of forest fires in Odisha out of which 153 are large-scale fires. In the last 24 hours, a massive 1,625 incicationdents of forest fires have been reported in the state, wrote Dharmendra.
- "Such forest fires not only cause irreparable damage to flora and fauna but also pose a threat to tribal and farming communities living in the periphery of forests. It destroys their livelihoods," he stated.
- Sambalpur: With March 15 to the end of April considered the peak season of forest flres, the Sambalpur Forest division here has initiated several measures to check the incidence.
- Divisional forest officer (DFO), Sambalpur, V Neelan- navbar, said, forest fires in the district take place generally for three reasons stubble burning, deliberately and during mahua collection. However, 75% of the total fire incidents are caused due to stubble burning in the district, he said.
- Neelan Navar said fire incidents of the last five years were analyzed and accordingly four categories of livery severe, severe, moderate and least concern have been identified, he said.
- Sources said 350 forest fi- res have been reported in the forest area under Sambalpur Forest division during this dry spell so far. And all the incidents were attended to by the forest staff.