In terms of the amount of forest land encroached upon, Assam tops all other states in the nation. According to information provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, encroachment has affected 13% of Assam’s total forest cover, according to a report presented in the parliament during question hour.
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav responded to a query from Karnataka MP Karadi Sanganna Amarappa by stating that the amount of forest encroachment across the nation is up to 740,973 hectares. Interesting to note is that 377,500 hectares, or 50.94%, of these lands come from Assam alone. In terms of encroachments on forest land, Assam leads all other states in the nation.
Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forests indicate that 13% of Assam’s total forest cover is currently being encroached upon.
The report also stated that Assam has a total forest cover of 283,2700 hectares. The encroachers have taken over 377,500 hectares, or 13%, of these. In contrast, there is encroachment on 34,358 hectares (or 1% of the state’s total forest cover) in Andhra Pradesh and 384.38 hectares (or 2% of the entire forest cover) in Delhi.
The minister said that the amount of forest cover has significantly decreased recently.
“It should be noted that the abnormal change in weather and global warming have made environment scientists nervous. The need for forests is immense in terms of balancing the environment,” said Bhupendra Yadav.
Assam being at the top of the list is concerning because despite investing lakhs of rupees in various environmental projects, the state government has not been able to stop encroachment on its forest lands.
The evidence provided on the floor of Parliament by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests makes it quite clear that the current administration has not done anything to safeguard forest land, despite campaign promises to do so.
