About 50,000 trees uprooted in Mulugu forest after being hit by huge gale, cloud burst

Hyderabad: In an ecological disaster, an estimated 50,000 trees spread over about 500 acres in the forests of Mulugu district in Telangana were uprooted following a huge gale and a sudden cloud burst.

This happened on the night of August 31 because of local climatic conditions that suddenly developed there due to cloud formation, a senior forest official said on Wednesday.

"We never saw such an incident in our lives," the official told.

With the massive wind and water gushing (in a particular width and length), it has destroyed the forest and big trees have been uprooted, he said.

The other reason why the trees got uprooted was that the plants do not develop a very deep root system as moisture and nutrition are easily available for them in the area, he said.

In some places, the root system is developed within one foot, he added.

Had it been a very deep root system, the damage would have been less, the official said. In some places, the top part was broken as one tree fell on another tree or the top might have got broken due to any "injury" to the tree.

The forest department has started an enumeration of the damage, which is expected to be completed in about a fortnight once the ongoing rainfall subsides.

The official said though cloud bursts have been reported from places like Himachal Pradesh, he has not come across damage to the forest on such a large extent of land.

The forest department would prepare a report and also urge experts or agencies like the Meteorological department to throw light on the reasons for the weather phenomenon that led to the massive damage to the forest, he said, and added that they would plan on how to rejuvenate the area to bring back the glory.

Though the forest is home to bison and spotted deer, no wildlife casualty has been reported, he said.

Telangana Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya expressed anguish over the loss of trees on about 500 acres.

There would have been widespread destruction had the incident occurred in villages, she said in a release.

She said Union Ministers from Telangana G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar should depute special teams from the Centre to ascertain the reasons for the incident.

The Centre should sanction special funds to rejuvenate forests where the trees got uprooted, she said.