Land Degradation Causes in Different States of India

Land Use and Degradation

• Waste land includes rocky, arid, and desert areas, as well as land used for non-agricultural purposes such as settlements, roads, railways, and industry.
• Continuous use of land without proper conservation and management leads to land degradation, which has severe consequences on society and the environment.

Measures to Prevent Land Degradation

• Afforestation and proper management of grazing can help mitigate land degradation to some extent.
• Other methods to prevent land degradation in arid areas include:
  • Planting shelter belts of plants
  • Controlling over grazing
  • Stabilizing sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
• In industrial and suburban areas, proper management of waste lands, controlling mining activities, and proper disposal of industrial effluents and wastes can reduce land and water degradation.

Importance of Land Conservation

• 95% of our basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing are obtained from land.
• Human activities have contributed to land degradation, including deforestation, over grazing, mining, and quarrying.

Types of Land Degradation

• In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, deforestation due to mining has caused severe land degradation.
• In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, overgrazing is a major reason for land degradation.
• In states like Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, over irrigation has led to land degradation due to water logging and increased salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

Soil as a Resource

• Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.
• It takes millions of years to form soil up to a few cm in depth.
• Factors influencing soil formation include relief, parent rock, climate, vegetation, and other forms of life, and time.

Land Resources

• Land is a natural resource of utmost importance, supporting natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, economic activities, transport, and communication systems.
• India has land under a variety of relief features, including mountains, plateaus, plains, and islands.
• About 43% of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and industry.

Land Utilisation

• Land resources are used for various purposes, including:
  • Forests
  • Land not available for cultivation (barren and waste land, land used for non-agricultural purposes)
  • Other purposes (e.g. agriculture, industry)