Survey on Soil Erosion
There is no periodical conduct of scientific survey / study specifically to identify the extent and nature of soil erosion and land degradation across the country. However, assessment has been made by different agencies/organizations using different methodologies/criteria from time to time. Details of assessments made are placed at Annexure-I. As per NAAS (2010),the extent of soil Erosion (soil loss more than 10 tonnes/ha/yr) in cultivable land of the country was 92.4 million hectares as assessed by the ICAR using the harmonized database. The State-wise details are given in Annexure-II.
The Government under Reclamation of Problem Soils (RPS), a sub-scheme of RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana (RKVY), is providing assistance for reclamation of lands affected by alkalinity, salinity and acidity. During 2016-17 to 2020-21, an amount of Rs. 58.76 crore (central shares) was released to the States and an area of 0.24 lakh ha has been developed.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed location specific bio-engineering soil & water conservation measures, watershed management interventions, soil reclamation measures for saline, alkali, waterlogged and acid soils, selection of suitable crops including agro-forestry interventions to prevent and manage land degradation.
The Department of Land Resources has sanctioned 8214 watershed development projects during 2009-10 to 2014-15 in 28 states (now 27 states and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) under the erstwhile Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). IWMP was amalgamated as the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (WDC-PMKSY) in 2015-16 for development of rainfed/ degraded Lands. During 2014-15 to 2021-22 (up to Q3), about 7.60 lakh water harvesting structures have been created/ rejuvenated, bringing additional area of 16.27 lakh ha under protective irrigation and benefitting 35.62 lakh farmers. The Government of India has also sanctioned financial outlay of Rs. 8,134 crore with a physical target of 49.50 lakh ha under ‘WDC-PMKSY-2.0’ for the period of 2021-2026. As on 20.03.2022, 1099 projects have been sanctioned to States/UTs covering an area of 49.21 lakh hectares.
Annexure- I
Assessment of land degradation in India by different agencies/organizations
Agencies/Organizations | Year | Area (million hectares) |
National Commission on Agriculture | 1976 | 148.09 |
Ministry of Agriculture (Soil and Water Conservation Division) | 1978 | 175.00 |
National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) | 1985 | 53.28 |
Ministry of Agriculture | 1985 | 173.64 |
Ministry of Agriculture | 1994 | 107.43 |
ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) | 1994 | 187.70 |
ICAR-NBSS&LUP (Revised) | 2004 | 146.82 |
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) based on harmonized database | 2010 | 120.70 |
Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Ahmedabad (based on Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data | 2016 | 96.40 |
Department of Land Resources in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (Wastelands Atlas of India) | 2019 | 55.77 |
Annexure-II
State-wise cultivable area affected by soil erosion in India
State | Area ('000 ha) |
Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) | 8093 |
Arunachal Pradesh | 666 |
Assam | 3248 |
Bihar | 851 |
Chhattisgarh | 3733 |
Delhi | 28 |
Goa | 1 |
Gujarat | 984 |
Haryana | 306 |
Himachal Pradesh | 982 |
Jammu & Kashmir | 1369 |
Jharkhand | 3219 |
Karnataka | 7522 |
Kerala | 490 |
Madhya Pradesh | 12262 |
Maharashtra | 8799 |
Manipur | 122 |
Meghalaya | 302 |
Mizoram | - |
Nagaland | 46 |
Orissa | 2227 |
Punjab | 229 |
Rajasthan | 19029 |
Sikkim | 45 |
Tamil Nadu | 2308 |
Tripura | 109 |
Uttar Pradesh | 13075 |
Uttarakhand | 1018 |
West Bengal | 1332 |
Total | 92400 |
Source: Degraded and Wastelands of India – Status and Spatial Distribution, NAAS, New Delhi Publication, June 2010.
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