National News Agency, RSS .
Janakpurdham, July 18.
The Directorate of Forests in Madhesh Province has successfully reclaimed 342 hectares of encroached forest land during the fiscal year 2081/82 (2024–25). According to the directorate, 30 hectares were cleared in Dhanusha, 175 hectares in Sarlahi, 111 hectares in Saptari, 54 hectares in Bara, 45 hectares in Parsa, 12 hectares in Rautahat, 10 hectares in Siraha, and 3 hectares in Mahottari.
Director Jagganath Prasad Jaiswal stated that a total of 16,599 hectares of forest land across the eight districts of Madhesh Province still remain under encroachment.
Speaking to RSS, Minister for Forests and Environment of Madhesh Province, Sanjay Kumar Yadav, emphasized that administrative mechanisms alone are insufficient to address forest-related challenges. Political will and coordination with local governments are crucial, he added.
The Ministry’s Secretary, Uddhav Bahadur Ghimire, informed that strict circulars have been issued to subordinate offices to act firmly against encroachment. He expressed commitment to achieving results through coordinated monitoring and the deployment of adequate personnel.
Although 45% of Nepal’s total land area is forested, Madhesh Province has only 3.72% forest coverage. Out of 136 local levels in the province, 89 do not have any forest area at all, according to the directorate.
Nationwide, about 8% of total forest area remains affected by encroachment.
