Lok Sabha Question No. 849 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-05
Subject: Forest Area Coverage in Bihar
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Mahabali Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.849

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2021

## Forest Area Coverage in Bihar

## 849.    SHRI MAHABALI SINGH:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) the total forest area in Bihar currently;
- (b) the total  geographical area required to be under forest as per prescribed norms in each district of Bihar; and
- (c) the  names  of  all  districts  of  Bihar  which  have  prescribed  forest  area/do  not  have prescribed area  under forest in  accordance  with  the  formally  laid  down  norms/ guidelines?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) Forest  Survey  of  India,  Dehradun  an organization  under  the  Ministry  carries out the assessment  of  forest  cover  of  the  country  biennially  and  the  findings  are  published  in India  State  of  Forest  Report  (ISFR).  The  forest  cover  assessment  is  a  wall-to-wall mapping  exercise  based  on  remote  sensing  supported  by  intensive  ground  verification and field data from National Forest Inventory.As per the latest report i.e. ISFR- 2019, the total forest cover of the Bihar 7,306 square kilometre which is 7.76% of the geographical area of the State.
- (b) The  National  Forest  Policy,  1988  provide  that  the  national  goal  should  be  to  have  a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous regions, the aim should be to maintain two-third of the area under  such  cover  in  order  to  prevent  erosion  and  land  degradation  and  to  ensure  the stability of the fragile eco-system.
- (c) As per  ISFR-2019, the  district-wise forest  cover  of  Bihar  is  given  in Annexure. The forest  cover  in  the  district  of  Jamui  (647.95  square  kilometre,  69.60%  of  the  total geographical area of the district) and Kaimur (1056.39 square kilometre, 41.12% of the total  geographical  area  of  the  district)  in  the  State  of  Bihar  is  more  than  33%  of  the geographical area of the district.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of the LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 849 due for answer on 05.02.2021 regarding 'Forest Area Coverage in Bihar'

District wise of Bihar as per ISFR-2019

(Area in square kilometre)

| S. No.   | District          | Geographical area   | Total Forest   |   percentage of Geographical Area |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|-----------------------------------|
| 1        | Araria            | 2,830               | 151.01         |                              5.34 |
| 2        | Arwal             | 638                 | 4.00           |                              0.63 |
| 3        | Aurangabad        | 3,305               | 156.76         |                              4.74 |
| 4        | Banka             | 3,020               | 260.73         |                              8.63 |
| 5        | Begusarai         | 1,918               | 81.95          |                              4.27 |
| 6        | Bhagalpur         | 2,569               | 69.73          |                              2.91 |
| 7        | Bhojpur           | 2,395               | 32.25          |                              1.89 |
| 8        | Buxar             | 1,703               | 5.89           |                              0.26 |
| 9        | Darbhanga         | 2,279               | 137.66         |                              2.77 |
| 10       | Gaya              | 4,976               | 590.31         |                             29.04 |
| 11       | Gopalganj         | 2,033               | 4.91           |                              0.16 |
| 12       | Jamui             | 3,098               | 647.95         |                             69.6  |
| 13       | Jehanabad         | 931                 | 0.00           |                              0    |
| 14       | Kaimur(Bhabua)    | 3,332               | 1,056.39       |                             41.12 |
| 15       | Katihar           | 3,057               | 61.98          |                              2.03 |
| 16       | Khagaria          | 1,486               | 18.45          |                              1.24 |
| 17       | Kishanganj        | 1,884               | 103.70         |                              5.5  |
| 18       | Lakhisarai        | 1,228               | 180.41         |                             14.69 |
| 19       | Madhepura         | 1,788               | 52.88          |                              2.96 |
| 20       | Madhubani         | 3,501               | 204.07         |                              5.83 |
| 21       | Munger            | 1,419               | 283.60         |                             19.99 |
| 22       | Muzaffarpur       | 3,172               | 161.82         |                              5.1  |
| 23       | Nalanda           | 2,355               | 31.85          |                              1.35 |
| 24       | Nawada            | 2,494               | 513.50         |                             20.59 |
| 25       | PashchimChamparan | 5,228               | 904.66         |                             17.3  |
| 26       | Patna             | 3,202               | 23.54          |                              0.74 |
| 27       | PurbiChamparan    | 3,968               | 163.86         |                              4.13 |
| 28       | Purnia            | 3,229               | 55.67          |                              1.72 |
| 29       | Rohtas            | 3,881               | 672.23         |                             17.32 |
| 30       | Saharsa           | 1,687               | 34.62          |                              2.05 |
| 31       | Samastipur        | 2,904               | 153.36         |                              5.28 |
| 32       | Saran             | 2,641               | 59.13          |                              2.24 |
| 33       | Sheikhpura        | 689                 | 1.00           |                              0.15 |
| 34       | Sheohar           | 349                 | 20.58          |                              5.9  |
| 35       | Sitamarhi         | 2,294               | 147.78         |                              6.44 |
| 36       | Siwan             | 2,219               | 7.16           |                              0.32 |
| 37       | Supaul            | 2,425               | 138.78         |                              5.72 |
| 38       | Vaishali          | 2,036               | 111.82         |                              5.49 |
|          | Grand Total       | 94,163              | 7,305.99       |                              7.76 |