Surge in wildfire incidents across Odisha; 389 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 389 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 389 fire points were detected in different forests of Angul, Bargarh, Balasore, Bolangir, Cuttack, Gajapati, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Subarnapur and Sundargarh 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.

[This story is a part of ‘Punascha Pruthibi – One Earth. Unite for It’, an awareness campaign by Sambad Digital.]