Bhubaneswar: Over 3,000 hectares of forest land in Odisha have been affected by wildfires so far in 2025, Odisha Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed the State Assembly today.

Responding to a question by MLA Ramesh Chandra Behera, the minister presented data on forest fires recorded in recent years, highlighting the scale of damage caused by the blazes.

According to the minister, as of March 17, 2025, wildfires have impacted 3,033.27 hectares of forest land in the state. He also shared the following figures from previous years.

2021: 28,569.98 hectares.

2022: 8,438.21 hectares.

2023: 9,711.72 hectares.

2024: 4,067.72 hectares.

Odisha ranks second among Indian states in terms of forest area affected by fire incidents in 2025, he added.

To mitigate the impact of forest fires, the state government has implemented various measures. These include the formulation of the District Action Plan (DAP) for fire prevention and control in all districts, awareness campaigns and training programs for Fire Protection Squads, and the creation and maintenance of fire lines within forests.

Additionally, the government has deployed vehicles and equipment for fire response teams, provided fire safety kits, and registered forest officials on the Forest Survey of India (FSI) portal to receive real-time fire alerts.

Further, the Odisha Forest Department has set up a 24x7 control room at both the state and divisional levels to monitor and respond to forest fire incidents. Villages contributing to fire prevention efforts are also being incentivized with reward schemes. In Similipal, advanced camera systems have been installed for better fire monitoring.

The minister emphasized that most forest fires in the state are surface-level incidents, meaning the affected forest areas can naturally regenerate during the monsoon season.