Of growing industrialization and depleting greenery

Rourkela: Rapid industrialization, unbridled mining activities and wanton tree felling have taken a heavy toll on the sylvan wealth in the district. It was estimated that there was greenery in around 36 per cent of the area, but it has come down to below 20 per cent in the last decade.

The fast dwindling of forest cover has caused ecological imbalance in the district with the Steel City Rourkela losing its greenery fast. Ecological imbalance is reflected from erratic rainfalls for the last few years. “The monsoon is not regular. Now the rains are erratic as a result of which the agriculture is suffering a lot,” said Srikant Satpathy, Secretary of Envicare, an outfit working for environment. He also voiced his concern over the extreme weather condition felt in certain parts.

Environmentalists point out to the disturbing climate pattern in and around Rourkela city.

Panposh Divisional Forest Officer admitted to the growing threat to ecological balance, courtesy urbanization. The division plans to cover around 6,000 ha with plantation of nearly 2 lakh saplings this year, sources said.

Wanton developmental activities have led to rampant felling of trees in many parts without any compensatory afforestation. People have been making space for concrete jungle at the cost of greenery. When expansion of Rourkela-Sundargarh State Highway was taken up, hundreds of trees were chopped off. But nothing was done to compensate the loss in green vegetation.

Similarly, mining and industrialization have their lion’s share of depleting the forest cover in the district, which was once boastful of having thick forest cover.

Panposh Forest Division may be protecting the existing green cover and carrying out compensatory afforestation, but the Revenue Department is allegedly considering over five dozen proposals of converting over 2,000 hectares (ha) of sensitive areas under Reserve Forest (RF) or Protected RF (PRF) categories.

It is alleged that large tract areas near river banks, hillocks and some other place, once rich in greenery, are surprisingly under the possession of business houses.

Asked by the district administration, the Rourkela Municipality will take up plantation in some areas. Around 50 thousand saplings are already planted in different areas.