Why Land Degradation has increased in India?

Land degradation in India has alarmingly increased which has many causes behind it. Some of the main reasons for the degradation of Indian land are :

Excessive Population

India is the second most populated country after China. The current population of India is more than 138 crores which is almost equal to 17.7% of the total world population. Such a large population puts huge pressure on its limited resources and therefore, is responsible for many problems across the country. This population demand for more food, residential areas, and commercial sectors and become one of the main reasons for land degradation.

Deforestation

To meet the necessities of people the practice of deforestation has been increased. According to records, India loses 1.3 million hectares of forests per year. The major causes of deforestation are Shifting Cultivation, Fuel requirements, Raw materials for industrial use, Development projects, Growing food needs, Overgrazing, Forest fires, etc. And deforestation leads to land degradation.

Soil Erosion 

The removal of vegetation cover of the soil is called soil erosion. It can be caused by man-activities, water-induced factors, and by wind-induced factors.  According to a report from 2015, almost 147 million hectares of Indian soil is eroded. From which 94 million hectares are eroded by water, 16 million hectares by acidification, 14 million hectares by flooding, and 9 million hectares by wind erosion. 

Floods and Droughts

• Floods: The amount of rainfall received by an area depends on the location of that place. Rains are good for crops/ plant growth. But excessive rainfall has many disadvantages such as heavy rainfall leading to a rise in the level of water which sometimes results in floods. These floods cause extensive damage to the quality of soil which further leads to land degradation.
• Droughts: Droughts mean a prolonged period with abnormally low rainfall, and lead to a shortage of water. 35% of Indian land is drought-prone. Droughts make the soil fully dry, harming the ingredients of soil which are responsible for better plant growth and this condition is known as land degradation.

Over Grazing 

India secures the first rank in the world for cattle population. It has around 197 million cattle. To feed such a large population of cattle we only have 13 million hectares as pasture area. That is why, the practice of grazing has increased steadily. Cattle removes the plants and grass from the top soil which are responsible for binding the soil together. Hence overgrazing leads to land degradation in India.

Soil Pollution

Contamination of soil with sewage sludge, industrial sludge, solid wastes, dump site leaches, agrochemicals, and radioactive substances is called soil pollution. Due to soil Pollution, the nutrients of the soil get depleted and the soil become poisonous for plants and vegetables to grow.

Over irrigation 

Since India is a developing country, the farmers of India are not so well educated. There is no proper way of drainage in their farms lands and mostly to grow healthy crops they do over-irrigation in their fields which leads to waterlogging and consequent salinization and alkalization and further leads to the degradation of land.

Landslides

Various development projects such as hydropower projects, road and railroad construction, building construction, mining projects, etc. are responsible for clearing forested areas. During these activities, huge portions of fragile mountainous areas are destroyed by dynamite and thrown into adjacent valleys and streams. These land masses weaken the already fragile mountain slopes and lead to landslides.

Land is a finite and very valuable resource because we are all dependent on it for our needs for example- our food, fiber, fuel, wood, etc.

Land, especially the top land, is classified under renewable resources because it is continuously regenerated by natural processes at a very slow rate. About 200–1000 years are needed for the formation of 1 inch or 2.5 cm of soil, this process depends upon the climate and the type of the soil. But, when the rate of degradation is faster than the rate of renewal, the soil becomes a non-renewable resource.

Land degradation in India is a major issue because about 30% of its geographical area is affected by the degradation of land. According to the current records, nearly 97.85 million hectares of Indian land are degraded. 

Land degradation means a decline in the product quality of a particular area since India mainly depends on agriculture for its national GDP growth. So, it is one of the major problems of India.