CONSEQUENCES OF SOIL EROSION

Soil erosion is responsible for the removal of productive nutrients from the soils and causes ecological imbalances. Some of the adverse consequences from soil erosion are:

(i) Loss of fertile top soil from the top layer leading to gradual loss of soil-fertility and agricultural productivity,

(ii) Loss of important nutrients from soil through leaching and water-logging.

(iii) Lowering of the underground water-table and decrease in soil moisture,

(iv) Drying of vegetation and extension of arid lands.

(v) Increase in the frequency of droughts and floods.

(vi) Silting of rivers and canal beds.

(vii) Recurrence of land slides.

(viii) Adverse effect on economy which retards cultural development.

(ix) Increase in crimes and anti social activities through the formation of natural hideouts for criminals and dacoits.

(x) Burden on the exchequer to reclaim the bad lands.

There is no uniform strategy to reclaim all the wasteland and degraded soils of different types. Some strategies that might help in the reclamation of wasteland

are given below:

(i) All the degraded forest lands should be planted with trees. Marginal lands which are not suitable for agriculture should be brought under social forestry and agro-forestry.

(ii) Degraded soils and degraded lands can be reclaimed with the help of watershed programmes.

(iii) Rainwater harvesting and conservation should be the focus of development planning. A series of small projects of water harvesting in the watershed area should be undertaken to maximise benefits from watershed projects.

(iv) Soil conservation practices should be adopted which have been briefly described in the following pages.