SOE 2026: Forestland diversion

In 2023-24, India approved diversion of nearly 29,000 hectares (ha) of forestland for non-forest activities. This is not only a 66 per cent rise from the previous year, but also the highest diversion in a decade. From 2014-15 to 2023-24, a staggering 173,397 ha of forests have been cleared—mostly for roads, mining, power lines, irrigation, railways and hydropower projects. In other words, India has diverted more forestland in the past decade than the total forest cover of Haryana (161,426 ha)

Just four states accounted for almost 49 per cent of the total forestland approved for diversion in the past decade (2014-15 to 2023-24)

This was first published in the State of India’s Environment 2026