India's push for development has led to large-scale destruction of forests, which environmentalists say is excessive
NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India is losing an average of 135 hectares (334 acres) of forest a day, the equivalent of more than 250 football pitches, to industrial and development projects, the Times of India reported on Tuesday.
According to government data received by a group of environmentalists, India's forests are being cut down to dig coal mines and build thermal power plants and other industrial projects.
The southern state of Karnataka is undergoing large-scale forest clearance, the report said. “Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand are some of the other states which are into large-scale diversions," said Ritwik Dutta, a lawyer working on environmental issues. "We are compiling state-specific data on the extent of land being diverted."
Experts say it is essential to protect forests to slow climate change, as plants soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide and help preserve biodiversity. Forests also prevent the erosion of hilly land by rivers and rainfall, reducing the likelihood of flooding and the silting up of rivers lower down their course.
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