More than 5,000 trees burned down due to 10 days long wildfires in Simlipal National Park, India
By Adna Tazvir
The vast forest reserves of Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India, have been engulfed in a devastating fire for the last ten days. For so long, there has been a catastrophic fire that has ravaged the forest.
Last Saturday, it was reported that the fire could not be brought under control. This incident has caused considerable concern among environmentalists. However, in a Tweet on Friday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the fire at Simlipal Udyan was under control. No casualties were reported in the incident.
On the other hand, a Tweet from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences said, “No one was harmed in the fire that lasted for the last ten days, and they were evacuated. However, about 5,291 trees have been burned in the meantime. Some of the medicinal and valuable plants have also been burned.”
Nabin Pattanayak, Chief Minister of Odisha, visited the site of the incident at Simlipal National Park. He also reviewed the situation there.
It may be mentioned that the Simlipal National Park and Tiger Reserve Centre covers an area of about 2,750 square kilometers. The park is famous for its conservation of elephants and tigers. It is also the largest Shalban in Asia and the largest Biosphere Reserve in India.
There are about 94 species of orchids, 304 species of birds, 60 species of reptiles, 164 species of butterflies, and 38 species. According to the officials working in the garden, the plants’ branches dry up during the summer. As a result, the fire was initially confined to a small area but spread rapidly later.
On the other hand, the panchayat chief of Jashipur in Odisha has blamed the chief administrative failure and indifference of forest officials for not bringing the fire under control. However, the officials of Simlipal National Park have denied the allegations.
