Telangana sees record rise in green cover

Hyderabad: The State government’s relentless efforts in taking up Telangana Ku Haritha Haram and ensuring the survival of saplings with regular maintenance have aided in a significant increase in forest and tree cover across the State, with the Reserve Bank of India also acknowledging the same in its Handbook of Statistics on Indian States. While […]

Hyderabad: The State government’s relentless efforts in taking up Telangana Ku Haritha Haram and ensuring the survival of saplings with regular maintenance have aided in a significant increase in forest and tree cover across the State, with the Reserve Bank of India also acknowledging the same in its Handbook of Statistics on Indian States.

While Telangana increased its forest cover by 632 sqkm in just two years, from 2019 to 2021, other larger States hardly match its growth achieved in this aspect. In terms of tree cover too, Telangana’s initiatives have paid off as the tree cover increased by 334 sqkm in two years. On the contrary, the tree cover in Gujarat decreased by 1,423 sqkm, while in Madhya Pradesh, it was cut by 285 sqkm, indicating the commitment of the BJP-ruled States towards greenery.

All of Telangana’s achievements have been highlighted in the RBI Handbook released on Saturday. The forest cover in the State has increased from 19,854 sqkm in 2015 to 21,214 sqkm in 2021. All this was not achieved overnight and the State government had to plan a long-term initiative. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao led the Haritha Haram initiative from the front and the State planted a whopping
235.59 crore seedlings till January 2022 against the target of 230 crore seedlings under the programme, achieving 102.6 per cent plantations.

Similarly, tree cover increased from 2,549 sqkm in 2015 to 2,848 sqkm in 2021. Despite being the youngest State in the country, Telangana stands as a role model to other States in increasing forest and tree cover, with appreciation coming in from across the globe.

The State government launched Haritha Haram in 2015-16 when the forest cover was 19,854 sqkm. Since then, effective execution of the programme and regular watering and maintenance of the saplings aided in a steady increase in forest cover.

The forest cover, which went up to 20,419 sqkm by 2017, increased to 20,582 sqkm in 2019 and again shot up to 21,214 sqkm in 2021. Likewise, the tree cover, which was 2,549 sqkm in 2015, increased to 2,669 sqkm in 2017, and to 2,514 sqkm km in 2019. By 2021, it reached 2,848 sqkm.

Tree cover is defined as tree patches recorded outside forest areas, exclusive of forest cover and less than the minimum mappable area of one hectare.