Fani takes a toll on State’s green cover

BHUBANESWAR: Fani has dealt a body blow to the green cover of coastal districts as more than 10 million trees have been uprooted with an equal number of trees damaged in the extremely severe cyclone. Such is the magnitude of damage that it may take a decade to make up for the lost greenery.

However, the figure may see a further rise as forest officials are yet to receive the complete report about the damage to forest cover in Puri, Khurda and other divisions where no communication has been established so far.

Preliminary estimates revealed that the cyclone has damaged at least two millions trees in Bhubaneswar alone. The regenerated forest in Chandaka has also been battered in the storm.
Forest officials have started assessing the damage to the green cover in the Fani-hit districts but it will take time as most of the field-level staff are engaged in removing uprooted trees and clearing roads in the affected areas.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force Sandip Tripathy told The Express that around 50 per cent trees have been uprooted while crown of the remaining half damaged in Balukhanda sanctuary. The sanctuary was home to around 90 lakh trees.

Report from Satapada, where Fani has caused extensive damage to the forest circle, is yet to come, he said.The cyclone also wreaked havoc on avenue plantation as lakhs of trees along Bhubaneswar-Puri highway and roads in Bramhagiri, Satapada, Krushnaprasad, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda and several other areas have either been uprooted or damaged.

A large number of trees in urban and rural areas of Puri, Khurda and Cuttack districts have also been uprooted.

“The damage to green cover is so massive that it will take at least a decade for its revival. We will recommend the State Government to launch a special project for Balukhand for restoration of the damaged forest,” the PCCF said.

Besides, the Forest department will also suggest the Government to go for more casaurina and mangrove plantation along the State’s coastline to minimise the impact of cyclones and floods. “Now, our main task will be to ensure re-plantation of the uprooted trees to revive the green cover,” said Tripathy.

Forest officials said repeated storms in 1999, 2013, 2014, 2018 and now in 2019, has severely affected the State’s forest and green cover. In 2013 Phailin, Odisha had lost around 1.2 million trees in Berhampur forest circle alone.

However, the wildlife has been spared from the cyclone’s fury. Around 4,000 deer in Balukhand sanctuary have been found safe. Besides, there is no report of large-scale wildlife loss from any other affected districts so far, the officials added.