HASDEO ARAND FOREST

About:

• The state government had in March given a go-head for coal mining in an area of 1,136 hectares under the second phase of Parsa East-Kete Basan (PEKB) coal block.
• A sprawling forest in the northern part of Chhattisgarh, Hasdeo Arand is known for its biodiversity and also its coal deposits.
• The forest falls under Korba, Sujapur and Sarguja districts with sizeable tribal population.
• The Hasdeo river, a tributary of Mahanadi, flows through it.
• Released in 2021, a report on the region by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) termed Hasdeo Arand the “largest un-fragmented forests in Central India consisting of pristine Sal (Shorea robusta) and teak forests.”