BHUBANESWAR: As temperature continues to be on the rise in the state triggering a surge in wildfire incidents, the Forest department has stepped up measures, deploying over 300 fire protection squads across wildlife and territorial divisions to effectively tackle the menace.
Sources in the Forest department said over 175 hectare land in and around forest areas have already been affected by wildfires detected so far since the commencement of the forest fire season 2026 from January 1.
As per the department statistics, a total of 969 fire points were detected during these one-and-a-half months till February 16, in which 174 ha land was affected. Around 840 of these fire points were inside forest boundaries. Forest authorities, however, said frontline staff are actively monitoring the situation and have successfully responded to 966 fire points with a response rate of 99.69 per cent.
PCCF and HoFF K Murugesan said as part of preparedness for the 2026 forest fire season, 20,461 km stretch of fire lines have been created, while 334 fire protection squads deployed across all wildlife and territorial divisions. The frontline staff have also been equipped with 5,000 leaf blowers and 1,751 safety kits, he said.
“Awareness programmes have been conducted in 336 forest- fringe villages, while 631 training programmes planned and being conducted in phases for field units. Around 200 NDRF personnel have also been trained for deployment in the event of any major forest fire incident,” Murugesan informed.
The department has this year also mobilised drones, AI-integrated cameras and AI towers in Similipal Tiger Reserve and other protected areas.