Forests, wildlife, environment, climate change and disaster management
2. Forest land, the law and management
Recorded forest area is the land the government has notified as forest: 23,632.64 sq km. Of this, reserved forest is about 18.6 per cent, protected forest about 81.3 per cent and unclassed forest 0.14 per cent, according to the forest department. Most of the state's forest is therefore protected forest, the category in which rights claims and diversion requests are decided.
| Law | Year | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Forest Act | 1927 | Classifies forests (reserved, protected, village) and defines forest offences |
| Wildlife (Protection) Act | 1972 | Sets up sanctuaries, national parks and the protected-area framework |
| Forest (Conservation) Act | 1980 | Requires central approval before forest land is diverted; renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023 |
| Forest Rights Act | 2006 | Recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers over forest land and minor forest produce |
3. Protected areas and wildlife
The forest department's wildlife page describes the protected-area network as one national park, eleven wildlife sanctuaries, one tiger reserve and one elephant reserve. It covers about 2,156 sq km, which the department puts at 2.7 per cent of the geographical area and 9.1 per cent of recorded forest. Most of the network lies in the north-west (Latehar, Palamu and Garhwa) and the north (Hazaribagh and Giridih).
| Area | Class | District | Teaching note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betla | National park | Latehar | The only national park; 226.32 sq km lies within Palamau Tiger Reserve |
| Palamau | Tiger reserve | Latehar and Garhwa | 1,129.93 sq km; core 414.08, buffer 715.85 sq km (department) |
| Mahuadanr | Wolf sanctuary | Latehar | About 63 sq km; declared on 23 June 1976 (department) |
| Dalma | Wildlife sanctuary | East Singhbhum | Elephant habitat near Jamshedpur |
| Udhwa Lake | Bird sanctuary; Ramsar Site 2559 | Sahibganj | Ramsar sheet: designation date 8 January 2024 |
| Parasnath | Wildlife sanctuary | Giridih | About 49 sq km (department) |
The Singhbhum Elephant Reserve is the state's elephant reserve; its notification year is given as 2001 in a secondary list, and reported areas range from 4,530 to 13,440 sq km, so do not key a question on its area. The elephant is the state animal, and man-elephant conflict is the wildlife wing's stated focus.
4. Environmental problems and state institutions
The environmental costs fall mostly on a forested plateau that holds mines and steel: air and water pollution in the coal and steel belts (Dhanbad, Bokaro, Jamshedpur), mine-water and soil problems, and invasive weeds. The Forest Survey lists Lantana camara as covering 1,912.27 sq km inside the recorded forest, the largest invasive extent; Chromolaena odorata follows at 887.52 sq km. The 2014 state plan adds erosion on about 23 lakh hectares, and soil acidity on about 4 lakh hectares of cultivated land.
- Jharkhand Pollution Control Board handles industrial and mining pollution and its consent system.
- Jharkhand Biodiversity Board and the Jharkhand ENVIS Centre keep the biodiversity and environmental information.
- Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park at Ormanjhi (Ranchi), run by the forest department, is one of the state's ex-situ parks.
- The forest department keeps a list of wetlands in the state, and the Ramsar listing of Udhwa (section 3) is the state's only international wetland designation found here.
5. Climate change: the state plan and its projections
Jharkhand's State Action Plan on Climate Change was prepared under the national framework. Work began in May 2011 with UNDP support and a State Steering Committee; the draft was shared with department heads on 28 January 2013, discussed in three regional workshops in December 2013, and dated 19 February 2014. It has three sections: background, sectoral analysis (agriculture, forestry, health, industry, mining, power, urban transport and water) with budgets, and a district vulnerability index. Its projections are scenario outputs from the time, not forecasts for 2026.
| Event | Observation |
|---|---|
| Heat waves | 100 incidences in 2010 |
| Highest temperature | 46.5 °C in June 2010 |
| Lowest temperature | 3.2 °C in January 2008 |
| Highest rainfall | 338.1 mm in June 2008 |
The plan's projections, from its scenario runs, are these: summer temperature rises by up to 2 to 3 °C during 2020 to 2050, and winter temperature by 4.78 to 5.2 °C in the same period. Under the B2 scenario, average rainfall rises by about 20 per cent by the end of the century, while A1B gives at least ten more rainy days. The plan also finds that the state's districts differ in vulnerability: Pakur, Simdega, Lohardaga and Latehar score highest, and Ranchi, Bokaro and Dhanbad lowest, because of adaptive capacity. The plan itself calls the index indicative, based on secondary data.
6. Disaster management: hazards and institutions
Jharkhand's hazards are mostly hydro-meteorological and industrial rather than seismic. The 2014 plan, quoting a draft State Disaster Plan of 2011, lists 11 districts as flood-vulnerable and says about 7 per cent of the state is flood-prone. The Indian Meteorological Department places the state in the drought corridor, and the plan names Gumla, parts of Koderma and Hazaribagh, Chatra and Palamu as worst hit by water shortage.
| Hazard | Facts | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Leading cause of natural-hazard deaths; counts differ by source and year (a press report put 186 lightning deaths in the 2025 monsoon), so never key a figure | Press report, 2025; unverified against an official total |
| Flood | 11 vulnerable districts in the draft plan | 2011 draft, in the 2014 plan |
| Drought | Gumla, parts of Koderma and Hazaribagh, Chatra, Palamu | 2014 plan |
| Forest fire | Satellite detections: 11,923 (2022-23), 7,525 (2023-24); West Singhbhum highest | FSI, ISFR 2023 |
| Mine fire | Jharia coalfield fires reported from 1916, first at Bhowra colliery; 67 fires in 41 BCCL collieries | Parliamentary material; a 2012 Rajya Sabha reply |
| Mine flood | Chasnala, near Dhanbad, 27 December 1975; 375 killed in most accounts | Commission inquiry reported in March 1977 |
| Earthquake | Mostly moderate-risk zones; the zone of a district differs between government lists, so check the current map before using it | Verify against the current IS 1893 map |
The Jharia fire has a master plan. The Government of India approved it in August 2009 at about Rs 7,112 crore, of which Rs 2,311.5 crore was for fire. BCCL, the coal company, controls the underground fire; resettlement of non-BCCL residents falls to the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority, a state body partly funded by a levy on each tonne of coal sold. On 25 June 2025 the Union Cabinet approved a revised Jharia Master Plan costing about Rs 5,940 crore.
Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, a State Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Chief Minister, is the apex body, and districts have their own authorities. The state disaster management department's own page gives 28 May 2010 as the date of the authority's notification. The disaster-management work sits in the Home, Jail and Disaster Management department. Press reports of 2025 put compensation for a lightning death at Rs 4 lakh.
7. Dated figures box
These are the figures the chapter uses that change. Quote each with its date, and refresh the row when a newer report is read.
| Indicator | Value | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Forest cover | 29.81 per cent, 23,765.78 sq km | ISFR 2023 (Forest Survey of India) |
| Protected areas | 1 national park, 11 wildlife sanctuaries, 1 tiger reserve, 1 elephant reserve | Forest department wildlife page, read 27 October 2026 |
| Saranda | Notification ordered; compliance not found | Supreme Court, November 2025 |
| Udhwa Ramsar site | Designation 8 January 2024 | Ramsar Information Sheet 2559, published 2 February 2025 |
| Climate action plan | Projections for 2020 to 2050 and 2085 | State plan, dated 19 February 2014 |
| Lightning deaths | No firm total; a press report gave 186 for the 2025 monsoon | Press report, 2025 |
| Forest fire detections | 11,923 (2022-23); 7,525 (2023-24) | FSI, ISFR 2023, district table |
Key takeaways
- Forest cover is 29.81 per cent of the area by satellite canopy (ISFR 2023). Forest area on the ground is a different measure, and the two must not be mixed.
- Betla is the only national park; the protected-area network is one national park, eleven sanctuaries, one tiger reserve and one elephant reserve, as the forest department reports.
- The Forest Rights Act (2006) governs the rights of forest dwellers; the Forest (Conservation) Act (1980), renamed in 2023, governs the diversion of forest land.
- The 2014 state climate plan projects warmer summers and winters and a rainfall rise of about 20 per cent under B2 by the end of the century; these are scenario outputs, dated 2014.
- Disasters have distinct causes: lightning and flood are hydro-meteorological, the Jharia fire is an underground mine fire, and Chasnala (1975) was a mine inundation.
- Institutions: the State Disaster Management Authority under the 2005 Act, district authorities, BCCL for underground fire control, and JRDA for resettlement around Jharia.
Practice questions (16)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
The Forest Survey of India's State of Forest Report 2023 gives Jharkhand's forest cover as a share of its geographical area. What is that share?
Show answer
Answer: A — 29.81 per cent
The report gives 29.81 per cent (23,765.78 sq km) as forest cover. The 28.10 per cent is the 'Forests' category of the 2021-22 land-use statistics, a different measure recorded on the ground. Mixing the two is the trap.The table gives the ISFR 2023 forest cover classes for Jharkhand: very dense forest 2,635.35 sq km (3.31 per cent of the area), moderately dense forest 9,640.99 sq km (12.09 per cent), open forest 11,489.44 sq km (14.41 per cent), total forest cover 23,765.78 sq km (29.81 per cent), scrub 558.32 sq km (0.70 per cent). Consider these statements:
P. Very dense forest is under 4 per cent of the area.
Q. Open forest covers more area than moderately dense forest.
R. Scrub covers more area than very dense forest.
S. The three density classes add up to the total forest cover.
Which are correct?Show answer
Answer: B — P, Q and S only
P is true (3.31 per cent), Q is true (11,489 against 9,641), and S is true (2,635.35 + 9,640.99 + 11,489.44 = 23,765.78). R is false: scrub is 558 sq km, far less than the 2,635 sq km of very dense forest.Which law, in its 2023 form, bears the name Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam?
Show answer
Answer: A — Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was amended and renamed in 2023. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 is about the rights of forest dwellers, the Indian Forest Act, 1927 classifies forests, and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 sets up protected areas. Only the 1980 Act governs the diversion of forest land.Which Act recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers over forest land and minor forest produce?
Show answer
Answer: A — Forest Rights Act, 2006
The 2006 Act's full title is the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act. The 1927 Act classifies forests, the 1972 Act governs protected areas and the 1980 Act controls diversion.According to the state forest department's wildlife page, which is the only national park in Jharkhand?
Show answer
Answer: B — Betla
Betla is the one national park. Palamau is a tiger reserve (and Betla's area lies within it), Dalma is a wildlife sanctuary, and Hazaribagh is a wildlife sanctuary.According to the forest department, which of these statements about Palamau Tiger Reserve are correct?
P. Its total area is about 1,130 sq km.
Q. Its core area is about 414 sq km.
R. It was established in 1990.
S. It lies in West Singhbhum district.Show answer
Answer: D — P and Q only
P and Q match the department's figures (1,129.93 sq km; core 414.08 sq km). R is false: the reserve was set up under Project Tiger in 1973 or 1974, not 1990. S is false: the reserve lies in Latehar and Garhwa districts.According to the Ramsar Information Sheet for Site No. 2559, Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary, on what date was the site designated as a Ramsar site?
Show answer
Answer: C — 8 January 2024
The sheet gives the designation date as 8 January 2024. Its publication date, 2 February 2025, is the trap, and news reports of the listing used that later date. 1991 is the year the lake was declared a sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, and 15 November 2000 is the state's formation date.The Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary, declared in 1976, lies in which district?
Show answer
Answer: A — Latehar
The forest department places the sanctuary in the Mahuadanr block of Latehar district, within the Palamau Tiger Reserve circle. Palamu and Garhwa are neighbouring districts of the tiger reserve, and Giridih holds Parasnath wildlife sanctuary.The 2014 Jharkhand State Action Plan on Climate Change projects an average rainfall rise of about 20 per cent by the end of the century under which scenario?
Show answer
Answer: D — B2
The plan says that under the B2 scenario the average rainfall in the state rises by about 20 per cent. Under A1B it projects at least ten more rainy days, and the A2 run is used for the district temperature projection, so neither is the 20 per cent scenario.According to the 2014 plan's table of extreme events in 2008 to 2012, what was the highest rainfall recorded?
Show answer
Answer: B — 338.1 mm in June 2008
The table gives 338.1 mm in June 2008 as the highest rainfall. The 46.5 °C in June 2010 is the highest temperature, 3.2 °C in January 2008 the lowest, and 100 heat-wave incidents a count of events, not a rainfall.When did the drafting of Jharkhand's climate action plan begin, with UNDP support and a State Steering Committee?
Show answer
Answer: C — May 2011
The plan says the process was initiated in May 2011 with the formation of the State Steering Committee and State Advisory Group. January 2013 is when the draft was shared with department heads, and February 2014 is the date of the plan's foreword.The Chasnala mine disaster of 27 December 1975, in which water flooded a working mine after an explosion, is associated with which district?
Show answer
Answer: A — Dhanbad
Chasnala is near Dhanbad, and the mine belonged to IISCO. Most accounts put the death toll at 375. Bokaro, Giridih and Hazaribagh are other coalfield or plateau districts with no link to this disaster.According to parliamentary material cited in this chapter, where was the first fire of the Jharia coalfield reported, in 1916?
Show answer
Answer: B — Bhowra colliery
The parliamentary material says the first incident was reported at Bhowra colliery in 1916. Jharia names the coalfield, not the colliery; Lodna and Kusunda are other collieries of the coalfield that the material does not name as the first site.Arrange these events of the Dhanbad-area coal mines in order:
P. the Government of India approves the Jharia master plan;
Q. the first fire is reported at Bhowra colliery;
R. the Chasnala mine disaster;
S. the Union Cabinet approves a revised Jharia Master Plan.Show answer
Answer: C — Q, R, P, S
The first fire was reported in 1916 (Q), Chasnala was in December 1975 (R), the Government of India approved the master plan in August 2009 (P), and the Cabinet approved the revised plan in June 2025 (S). The tempting order Q, R, S, P forgets that the revised plan came sixteen years after the original approval.The forest-fire table reports total satellite fire detections of 11,923 in 2022-23 and 7,525 in 2023-24, across Jharkhand's 24 districts. By how many detections did the total fall from 2022-23 to 2023-24?
Show answer
Answer: B — 4,398
11,923 minus 7,525 is 4,398. The distractor 4,298 comes from a subtraction slip of 100, and 3,398 from a slip of 1,000.According to the Forest Survey of India's 2023 report, which invasive species covers the largest estimated extent inside Jharkhand's recorded forest area?
Show answer
Answer: B — Lantana camara
Lantana camara covers 1,912.27 sq km inside the recorded forest. Chromolaena odorata follows at 887.52 sq km, Ageratum at 58.03 and Mikania at 41.65.