Surge in wildfire incidents across Odisha; 2,075 fire points detected in last 7 days

Bhubaneswar: With progressing summer, the rising number of forest fires across Odisha has raised the concern of many environmentalists and nature lovers. About 2,075 fire points were detected in different forests of the State during the last seven days, a Forest Survey of India (FSI) data revealed today.

The 2,075 fire points were detected in different forests of Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Sundargarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Bargarh, Angul, Boudh, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, and Puri districts, the FSI source mentioned.

Worth mentioning, any fire hotspot detected by satellite i.e. MODIS and/or SNPP-VIIRS sensors which gets filtered in the forest area of India [based on either state RFA (Recorded Forest Area) or state FCM (Forest Cover Maps) as per FSI] is regarded as a ‘forest fire incident’.

It is likely that the wildfires raged due to a rise in the temperature and dry conditions.

It is pertinent to mention here that about 389 fire points were previously detected in different forests of the State between March 6 and March 13. Since then, there has been a substantial rise in the number of detected fire points which increased by around 1,686.