India loses over 46,000 sq km of forest land in a decade, Arunachal Pradesh worst affected
New Delhi: Over the past decade, India has lost nearly 46,000 sq km of forest land, with Arunachal Pradesh recording the highest loss of 6,539 sq km, according to the latest India State of Forest Report. Other states with significant losses include Madhya Pradesh (5,353 sq km) and Maharashtra (4,052 sq km).
In southern India, Andhra Pradesh (5,560 sq km), Telangana (4,926 sq km), and Karnataka (3,328 sq km) were among the most affected states.
The report highlights three categories of forest degradation:
1. Dense forests turning into open forests (10-40% canopy density).
2. Open forests degrading into scrublands (less than 10% canopy density).
3. Scrublands transforming into non-forest areas.
The combined degradation over the decade totals 92,989 sq km, with dense forests accounting for nearly 93,000 sq km of the loss. Of this, 50% has been entirely converted into non-forest areas, including croplands, settlements, water bodies, grasslands, snow-covered regions, and deserts.
Environmentalists have raised concerns about the increasing conversion of forests into non-forest lands, which could severely impact biodiversity. Debadityo Sinha, an ecologist with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, remarked, “Many of these areas are home to significant engineering projects like mines, highways, and strategic developments, which have intensified following recent amendments to the Forest Conservation Act.”
The report also warns about the spread of Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora), an invasive alien species, which has emerged as one of the top five agroforestry species in 2023.
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NDRF, SDRF teams continue efforts to rescue 3-yr-old girl from borewell in Rajasthan
Jaipur, Dec 24: Efforts to rescue a three-year-old girl who fell into a 150 feet deep borewell in Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan continued on Tuesday.
The girl, Chetna, fell into the borewell while playing in the agriculture farm of her father on Monday.
SHO Sarund Mohammad Imran said teams of NDRF and SDRF are trying to rescue the girl safely.
Senior Commandant of NDRF Yogesh Meena said, "After failing to safely pull out the girl from the borewell with a ring rod, efforts are being made to pull her out with another local equipment made of iron plate."
The girl's actions were captured on camera and an oxygen pipe was lowered into the borewell to supply oxygen.
Two weeks ago, a five-year-old child fell into a borewell in Dausa district. The rescue operation to rescue the child safely lasted for more than 55 hours. However, by the time he was pulled out, the child had lost the battle of life.
