Over 26 lakh trees destroyed in Odisha's development push, says Minister

Bhubaneswar, Sept 10: Trees play a crucial role in mitigating global warming and the climate crisis, yet in Odisha, they have suffered extensively due to development activities.

In a recent revelation, Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia disclosed in the State Assembly that an alarming 26,75,028 trees were cut down over the past 23 years for various development projects.

Between 2000 and 2023, during the previous Naveen Patnaik government, a total of 428 projects led to this extensive deforestation. The majority of the trees were removed for electricity services, with 13,09,439 trees sacrificed for this purpose. Mining activities followed, with 9,64,063 trees cut down.

Road expansion projects led to the loss of around six lakh trees, while irrigation initiatives caused the removal of 6,89,000 trees. Additionally, more than three lakh trees were cleared for industrial development. This extensive deforestation highlights the severe environmental impact of development activities in the state.