Bhubaneswar: A total of 4,609 hectares of forest land in Odisha were affected by fire incidents last year, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia informed the State Assembly on Tuesday.
In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Sagar Charan Das, the minister said the Nabarangpur forest division recorded the highest damage, with 644.53 hectares of forest affected by fires.
The Khariar forest division reported the second-highest impact, where 460.67 hectares of forest area were damaged. This was followed by Phulbani division, where fires affected 395.63 hectares of forest land.
Other divisions that reported significant damage included Sunabeda wildlife division (264.96 hectares), Rayagada (264.77 hectares), Sundargarh (254.81 hectares), Boudh (208.84 hectares) and Jeypore (200.97 hectares).
Providing details on preventive efforts, the minister said the state government spent ₹12.81 crore during the 2024–25 financial year on forest fire prevention measures. In addition, ₹4 crore was utilised for soil moisture conservation and plantation activities during the same period.
Ahead of the forest fire season, the department has taken several precautionary steps. These include creation of fire lines within forests and along forest boundaries to prevent the spread of fires.
The minister said awareness campaigns are being conducted at forest and range levels, while mock drills on forest fire suppression are regularly organised to strengthen preparedness.
To enhance response capability, the department has formed 334 trained fire protection squads. For firefighting operations, 334 vehicles, 1,037 leaf blowers, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment have been deployed.
Singkhuntia also informed the House that AI-enabled cameras have been installed in Simlipal to detect forest fires and send alerts in real time. Additionally, 24×7 control rooms have been set up at the state headquarters and forest department offices to monitor and manage wildfire incidents.
To ensure timely alerts, mobile numbers of forest department personnel have been registered with the Forest Survey Institute (FSI) system, enabling them to receive immediate notifications regarding fire outbreaks, the minister added.
