Cyclone spares green cover, wreaks havoc on plantation in Bhadrak district

Forest officials in Bhitarkanika said the mangrove cover acted as a shield and prevented any damage to the green cover in Kendrapara.
Cyclone spares green cover, wreaks havoc on plantation in Bhadrak district
Photo | PTI
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BHUBANESWAR: Severe cyclonic storm Dana spared the majority of the green cover but caused extensive damage to newly planted saplings in Bhadrak district.

The cyclone struck the Odisha coast near Kendrapara with wind speeds of 110 km/h late on Thursday night, passing through key forest and wildlife zones, including Bhitarkanika National Park, the Bhadrak Wildlife Division, and Similipal Tiger Reserve.

PCCF (Wildlife) Susanta Nanda reported no major loss of green cover in any wildlife division or protected area, including Similipal.

According to forest department sources, the number of trees damaged by the cyclone will be less than 10,000. Most of these trees were along roads or on private lands. In Similipal, there has been no loss to the green cover, though some VHF towers and solar panels inside the forest were affected. Forest officials in Bhitarkanika noted that the mangrove cover acted as a shield, preventing any damage to the green cover in Kendrapara.

The number of uprooted trees in the Rajnagar range and other parts of the division is estimated to be less than 500, said Mangrove Wildlife Division DFO Sudarshan Gopinath Jadav. Balasore wildlife officials also reported no significant damage to the green cover in their jurisdiction.

However, Bhadrak district reported damage to the green canopy, primarily in the Chandabali and Basudevpur areas. Bhadrak Wildlife Division DFO Soubhagya Sahu stated that the cyclone severely affected the coastal district, damaging around 40 percent of the plantation carried out along a 115 km stretch in various parts of the district. Saplings in some other plantation areas were also damaged.

Sources in the wildlife wing reported damage to approximately 60,000 saplings from Bhadrak, with over 1,000 trees also affected in the district.

In light of the situation, Nanda has requested officials from the Balasore, Bhadrak, Rajnagar, and Puri wildlife divisions to submit preliminary assessment reports on green cover loss as soon as possible.

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