India, Aug. 5 -- Around 215,943 hectares (ha) of forestland was approved for diversion for non-forest use between the period, 2014-15 and 2025-26. Nearly 62 per cent of this land was cleared for mining, hydropower, irrigation and road projects, showed an analysis of official data provided by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the parliament.

The pace of forest diversion has accelerated sharply in recent years reveals the official data. From 2014-15 to 2018-19, a total of 74,705.68 ha of forestland was approved for diversion. In the next five years from 2019-20 to 2023-24, this increased by nearly 29 per cent to 96,112.90 hectares.

However, the most disturbing trend is seen in the last two years. In just two ...