Odisha topped the country as the State with the highest number of forest fires in 2021. This is a shocking fact. Environmentalists are concerned because despite being one of the top five states the officials have never assessed the damage to its flora and fauna.
In response to a query from BJD MP Mamata Mohanta in the Rajya Sabha, Union Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav stated Odisha hasn’t provided any loss assessment report to the Centre over the raging wildfires in the state since 2017.
According to data released by the Union Minister, Odisha was among the top five states in the country with the most forest fires. During the last fire season, which concluded on June 30, 2021, the Forest Survey of India issued 51,968 fire alerts to Odisha, the highest number in the country.
Using the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) spacecraft, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the FSI has issued a total of over 3.45 lakh fire alarms across the country, according to Yadav.
In March and April of this year, the phrase “Simlipal is burning” trended worldwide. The State had been widely criticized at times. In the middle of the ‘fire,’ Odisha Chief Conservator Forests Shashi Paul downplayed the outrage. He cited the forest fires as an annual occurrence in the state.
He also reasoned that the early start of the fire season in the state in November, rather than January, was responsible for a big number of fire events in 2021.
However, according to data from the Union Government, the fire season in Odisha has been pushed back to November from January in prior years. Due to good pre-monsoon rain in 2019 and 2020, the State saw fewer fire incidents.
A long dry season in (Forest Fire) year 2021, on the other hand, showed deficiencies in the state’s forest fire control and planning. In Odisha, there seems to be no shortage of finances to effectively manage forest fires.
“Odisha has the wherewithal – manpower and equipment – to deal with the forest fire demands,” claimed the then PCCF.
According to data presented in the Rajya Sabha today, the State has received a huge Rs 22.2438 crore over the previous five years to develop and maintain fire lines in forest areas, engage fire watchers, and build water storage facilities in forest areas.
The money allocated was also used to strengthen the forest infrastructure, procure fire fighting equipment, initiate soil and moisture conservation works in high-risk areas, create awareness (with the help of Van Suraksha Samitis -VSS) and incentivize the villages/communities for protection against forest fire, etc.
Unlike in previous years, the VSS in Mayurbhanj was disorganized in the last two years for whatever reason. The burning of Simlipal this year was largely due to a lack of community participation in forest fire management. Aditya Patnaik is the President of Antodaya Chetna Mandal (ACM), an NGO that has worked in the field of forest development for the past 25 years.
“The rise in forest fires this year showed that the State forest department was not alert. Since the alerts were issued based on satellite images, a readymade plan of action by the State Forest Department. This could have averted the spreading of the fire to new areas. The spread also revealed that the fire lines were not maintained properly,” observed Biswajit Mohanty, environment and wildlife activist.
