Uttarakhand is losing about 45 hectare of forest every month! A recent state government report has estimated that 1,978 hectare of forestland have been destroyed in the hill state in recent years. An officer involved in the survey who did not want to be named told The Telegraph, “We all know that 71% of the hill state is covered by forest. But the speed at which we are losing forest cover may affect lives here drastically..."

Between 2002 and 2023, the state lost about 27 hectare of humid primary forest and 20.7 kilohectare of tree cover. Three districts in Uttarakhand – Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar – have experienced negative growth in forest cover. Primarily, two reasons why Uttarakhand's forests are getting out of control every year. We get to the bottom of it...

Video Producer: Shohini Bose
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