Similipal National Park to be closed for tourists from June 12, know why

Baripada: Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district will remain out of bounds for visitors from June 12 to September 30 due to onset of monsoon, a notice issued by the Field Director Prakash Chandra Gogineni said on Friday. The exact date of reopening will be notified and published in daily newspapers.

However, eco-tourism complex- Jamuani, Gurudia, Kumari, Barehipani and Ramtirtha – will remain open for the visitors. The entry of tourists to the reserve forest is prohibited from mid-June every year during the rainy season as road connectivity to various locations inside the sanctuary gets disrupted. The national park, a major tourist destination of Odisha, usually reopens from the first week of November.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the southwest monsoon may arrive in South Odisha in the next 2-3 days. The Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) has also forecast the onset of monsoon over Odisha by June 10 due to the south-westerly wind flow from the Arabian Sea. “Warm humid weather with temperature (less than 42 degrees C) in the interior districts of Odisha and moderate temperature (less than 40 degrees C) in the coastal region will prevail till June 10. If the onset of monsoon is delayed, day temperature could reach 45 degrees C in the western Odisha districts and 40 degrees C in the southern districts between June 12 and 16. Sporadic norwester (Kalabaisakhi) is likely to continue in different parts of the state during the period but its frequency could be more in the coastal belt,” it added.