India used more than 99,000 hectares of forest land for non-forestry purposes in the last five years, according to official data shared in the Parliament on Thursday by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh.
Projects related to building of roads, hydroelectricity, irrigation works, mining, quarrying and solar and wind power used up forest land since 2020, said the minister, adding that in 2024-25, the re-diversion/land use change category saw 180 new cases.
Giving a further break down to the Rajya Sabha, Singh said 22,233 ha were diverted for road projects alone between 2020-21 and 2024-25 – comprising the largest share – followed by 18,914 ha for mining and quarrying, and 17,434 ha for hydel and irrigation works.
The ministry said that a total of 3,826 road projects received forest clearance since 2020.
As of 2023, India’s total forest and tree cover was 25.17 per cent of its geographical area, which falls short of the goal of the National Forest Policy, 1988, that mandated a minimum of 33 per cent of the country’s total land area under forest or tree cover to maintain environmental stability and ecological balance.
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Besides power transmission lines, which required 13,859 ha, and railway projects, which saw the diversion of 5,957 ha, other major categories included forest village conversion (1,362 ha), drinking water projects (1,281 ha), rehabilitation works (1,508 ha), canals (80 ha), defence projects (6,042 ha), optical fibre cable (391 ha), industries (150 ha), and new petrol pumps (1,927 ha).
Smaller diversions were recorded for solar and wind power, schools, hospitals and communication posts.
Data shows a sharp rise in certain categories in 2024-25, including drinking water schemes (376 ha), petrol pumps (42 ha), and power transmission lines (3,820 ha).
Pipelines (756), drinking water projects (676), optical fibre cable (524), hydel/irrigation (194), mining/quarrying (190) and railway projects (182) formed the next major categories.
Among smaller but notable categories were defence (116 clearances), industry (41), village electricity (31), school and educational institutions (37), and non-conventional energy (7). Solar and wind power projects received only eight and one clearances respectively over the five-year period.
While Singh’s reply did not provide details of people affected by forest diversion or clearances, the minister said such information is handled through the land acquisition law and reviewed during environmental clearance processes.
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