Odisha is our motherland; it has kept us alive, and we must keep our motherland alive. If anyone tries to harm it's wellbeing , rivers of blood will flow.
हमारा आशा, भाषा और रग रग में है,
ओडिशा की नशा,
मातृभूमि नहीं तो मृत्यु
District wise forest cover percentage of Odisha 2023 Data
Projects / Proposals & Concerns in Odisha
| Project / Proposal | Type | Environmental / Social Concerns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balada Bauxite Mining (Adani / Kalinga Aluminium Co.) in Koraput |
Mining | Threat to livelihoods; forest land; possible cultural / sacred hill sites; environmental impact on villages nearby; public hearing contested. | |
| Sijimali Bauxite Mine (Vedanta) in Kalahandi / Rayagada | Mining | Water usage (large quantities), water pollution, forest loss, air pollution, possible health impacts (respiratory etc.), misleading / incomplete info in EIA according to villagers. |
|
| Proposed Bridge over Chilika Lake (Satapada to Janhikuda) | Infrastructure / Connectivity | Threat to ecosystem of Chilika Lake (a Ramsar site): birds, migratory species, endangered Irrawaddy dolphins; disturbance from increased traffic; risk to livelihoods of fishermen. |
|
| Drilling / Prospecting near Khandadhar (OMC) | Mining exploration | Area is elephant habitat; tiger presence increasing; forest land diversion; need for NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) input; possible habitat fragmentation; Damage of Khandadhar waterfall. |
|
Auctioning of Mining Blocks (Virgin Forests near Wildlife / Sanctuary boundaries) e.g. Karlapat Sanctuary etc. |
Mining | Large scale tree felling; threat to wildlife; boundary issues of sanctuaries; loss of forest cover; ecosystem impacts. |
|
| Illegal / Minor Mineral Mining (Sand etc.) in places like Cuttack etc. | Minor minerals / unregulated extraction | River bed degradation; embankment weakening; ecological damage; loss of habitat; erosion; loss of revenue + regulatory enforcement issues. |
|
| Talabira (Coal Mining, Ib Valley region) | Mining / Coal / Industrial expansion | Forest loss; added pollution load in already heavily polluted Ib Valley; water stress; ecological degradation; climate / health concerns for local living environment. |
|
| Paradip / Other Industrial Cluster Projects (JSW project etc.) | Industrial pollution | Emission of PM (particulate matter), SO₂; health risks (respiratory, preterm births etc.); cumulative pollution load; clean water scarcity. |
|
| Urban Flooding & Drainage / Sewerage Projects (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack etc.) | Urban infrastructure problems | Encroachment / narrowing of natural drains; choke points; failure of sewerage / drainage leading to flood risk; water contamination etc. |
Mains concerns on Balda cave and Khandadhar
Underlying / Systemic Issues
Beyond individual projects, several systemic issues keep recurring:
- Forestry & Wildlife Habitat Loss: Many mining or infrastructure proposals require forest land diversion or cutting down trees, often with insufficient compensatory afforestation.
- Water Stress & Pollution: Both from industrial projects (waste water, chemical runoff, etc.) and from overuse of water in mining / extraction. Groundwater depletion or pollution is an issue.
- Air Pollution, Health Impacts: Dust, emissions from industries, coal/coal-mining, particulate matter, SO₂ etc.
- Procedural / Regulatory Issues: Public hearings sometimes alleged to be incomplete / misleading; environmental impact assessments (EIAs) contain disputed data; forest clearance / wildlife authority approvals sometimes delayed or contested.
- Livelihood Impacts: Many tribal / local communities depend on forests, wildlife, agriculture, water bodies (like Chilika), etc. Projects threaten these sources of livelihood.
•Forest Rights Act implementation
Odisha has the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). They have a scheme “Mo Jungle Jami Yojana” aiming to implement FRA so that forest-dependent communities get legal title over forests they use.
•Community Forest Resource (CFR) plans & funding
Odisha is giving funds directly to Gram Sabhas of villages (local village councils) to prepare CFR plans and manage forests. For example, 100 villages have been approved for CFR plans with ₹15 lakh/year to each Gram Sabha in that pilot phase.
•CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund)
Odisha has its state CAMPA body which handles funds for afforestation, regeneration, wildlife protection, etc. When forest land is diverted for non-forest use, compensatory afforestation (planting trees elsewhere or restoring degraded forest) is done.
•Clarification/removal of “deemed forests”
Odisha has recently removed the legal category of “deemed forests” under its forest conservation law. This has implications for how forest land is identified, notified, diverted etc.
•Banned on Forest Fire
Mostly in odisha Tropical deciduous forest found and they shed their leaves in summer.
People used to collect Mahua flowers and seeds by burning the leaves of the Mahua/Muhula tree.
On one hand people set fire to forests and on the other hand they lay traps to kill wild animals.
Small plants and seeds of trees get burn in fire
•Forest fielding by Forest Officials
Some times forest officials cuts the branches and small grown trees and left big trees.
They don't know language of forest we must have keep all things together.
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