17 April 2020




With daytime temperatures breaching over 40 degrees Celsius in around a dozen places in the state since last week, Odisha has topped the list of states in the country concerning forest fires in the last one week.

According to the Forest Survey of India’s (FSI), fire alerts issued based on the SNPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership)-VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor, at least 3531 fires were recorded in Odisha, the highest in the country between April 9 and 16. Maharashtra with 3203 fires in that period was at the second spot followed by Madhya Pradesh with 2472 fires.

Though fire incidents in Odisha are quite less this year compared to the same period last year, the numbers are slowly rising. Between 9 and 16 April 2019, Odisha recorded 4429 fire spots while the same for the previous year was 682.

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