India, March 25 -- Over 3,000 hectares of forest land in Odisha have been affected by wildfires so far in 2025, Odisha Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia informed the State Assembly today.

Responding to a question by MLA Ramesh Chandra Behera, the minister presented data on forest fires recorded in recent years, highlighting the scale of damage caused by the blazes.

According to the minister, as of March 17, 2025, wildfires have impacted 3,033.27 hectares of forest land in the state. He also shared the following figures from previous years.

2021: 28,569.98 hectares.

2022: 8,438.21 hectares.

2023: 9,711.72 hectares.

2024: 4,067.72 hectares.

Odisha ranks second among Indian states in terms of forest area affected by fire incid...