In a shocking revelation in the Odisha Assembly, Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia has confirmed that more than 3,000 hectares of forest have been consumed by fire in the past three months alone.
This alarming situation places Odisha as India’s second most affected state by forest fires in 2025.
The minister further highlighted the devastating toll of wildfires over the years, with 53,820 hectares of forests destroyed from 2021 to 2024. While most of these fires are ground-level, they significantly impact the forest ecosystem. However, many of these areas show signs of recovery during the monsoon season.
To combat this crisis, the state has introduced multiple measures, including the preparation of District Action Plans (DAP) and the deployment of forest fire prevention teams equipped with modern safety kits. Similipal Forest, a particularly affected area, now benefits from AI-based camera monitoring to track and manage wildfires effectively.
Odisha’s forest department has also set up 24×7 control rooms at state and regional levels to ensure continuous monitoring and intervention, while local villages are being incentivized to actively participate in prevention efforts.
Despite these efforts, the scale of the destruction underscores the urgent need for innovative and sustainable forest fire management strategies.
