Bhubaneswar, Dec. 3 -- Odisha has lost 4,609.347 hectares of forest land to wildfires between July 2024 and December 2025, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed the Assembly on Wednesday.

The Minister, responding to a written question from Congress MLA Ram Chandra Kadam of Pottangi, said the figures reflect cumulative damage recorded across multiple forest divisions over a 17-month period.

In his written reply, the Minister said that Odisha's current forest cover stands at 52,433.56 sq km, but several divisions, including Nabarangpur, Phulbani, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Khariar, Malkangiri, and Jeypore, have reported significant fire-related losses.

Wildlife divisions such as Similipal North and So...