Bhubaneswar, June 5: Once celebrated as a planned city blessed with abundant greenery, Bhubaneswar today finds itself struggling to breathe amid relentless urban expansion. Over the past 78 years, the Odisha capital has transformed dramatically, with concrete structures steadily replacing natural landscapes. While new parks and beautification projects continue to emerge, environmentalists warn that the city's true ecological assets—its forests and natural ecosystems—are shrinking at an alarming pace.
From the sprawling Bharatpur Forest to the historic Khandagiri-Udayagiri hills, Bhubaneswar's green lungs are under increasing pressure. The city boasts several parks and urban green spaces, including Anandaban, Smrutiban, Ekamra Udyan, the Botanical Garden, Forest Park, IG Park and Nicco Park. Yet, experts argue that ornamental parks cannot replace the ecological value of natural forests.
Bharatpur forest: The city's breathing space under threat
Nestled within the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary, Bharatpur Forest has long been regarded as the lungs of Bhubaneswar. Spanning nearly 19.62 square kilometres, the forest shelters a rich diversity of flora and fauna, including elephants, deer, monkeys, jackals, foxes and numerous bird species.
The forest also serves as an important recreational and educational destination through its safari facilities. However, beneath its green canopy lies a growing concern. Encroachment continues to eat into forest land despite repeated intervention by authorities. Forest officials have reportedly registered more than 80 cases against encroachers, yet illegal occupation remains a persistent challenge.
Environmentalist Dr. Jayakrishna Panigrahi points out that rapid urbanisation has steadily reduced the buffer zones surrounding Chandaka-Dampara. According to him, the western and north-western stretches of Bharatpur and Jagannath Prasad forests are particularly vulnerable as the city's boundaries continue to expand.
The recent development of the 89-acre Anandaban urban forest, though welcomed by citizens, also highlights a larger reality—it was once part of the Chandaka forest ecosystem. As urban projects continue to spread, conservationists fear that natural habitats may gradually give way to managed green spaces.
Khandagiri-Udayagiri: Heritage hills crying for protection
Few places in Bhubaneswar combine history and ecology as seamlessly as Khandagiri and Udayagiri. The twin hills are home to approximately 450 species of plants, over 100 medicinal species, 190 species of animals, 50 varieties of butterflies and around 30 species of insects.
For centuries, these ancient hills have stood as silent witnesses to the city's evolution. Today, however, they face threats from all sides. Increasing traffic, air pollution, noise pollution and developmental activities have begun to affect the fragile ecosystem.
Experts warn that biodiversity in the region is under pressure. Road-widening projects have already altered portions of the landscape, while recurring incidents of forest fires continue to disrupt wildlife habitats. Rare plant species and countless birds, reptiles and mammals that depend on the hills are increasingly finding their homes fragmented.
Despite their immense ecological significance, Khandagiri and Udayagiri often receive more attention as tourist attractions than as biodiversity hotspots requiring long-term conservation.
Ekamra Van: A Model Waiting to Be Replicated
Amid these concerns, Ekamra Van stands as an example of what urban ecological planning can achieve. Developed near Lingaraj Temple and Bindu Sagar, the medicinal forest was dedicated to the public in 2009.
Spread across a carefully curated landscape, Ekamra Van houses more than 200 species of medicinal plants and shrubs. Rare and culturally significant species such as Rudraksha, Arjuna, Bael, Nutmeg and Bay Leaf thrive within its boundaries. The nursery attached to the forest has also become an important centre for promoting medicinal plants.
Yet, more than a decade after its establishment, Ekamra Van remains largely unmatched. Similar large-scale urban forests have not emerged elsewhere in the city, leaving many environmentalists wondering why such successful models have not been replicated.
The Road Ahead
As Bhubaneswar races toward becoming a modern metropolitan city, the challenge lies in balancing development with environmental sustainability. Experts argue that parks alone cannot compensate for the loss of natural forests, which play a critical role in regulating temperature, maintaining biodiversity, recharging groundwater and improving air quality.
The question facing the city today is not whether development should continue, but whether it can proceed without sacrificing the natural ecosystems that make Bhubaneswar livable.
For a city once known for its tree-lined avenues and forested surroundings, preserving its remaining green lungs may be one of the most important tasks of the coming decades.
