Soil degradation
Topic: Soils of India: Types, Degradation and Conservation · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 1 "Natural Resources and Their Use"
Meaning
Soil degradation is a fall in the quality and output of soil. It happens through erosion, loss of nutrients and organic matter, salinity (salt build-up), waterlogging and chemical pollution. The main causes are mining, overgrazing, deforestation, over-irrigation, and too much use of fertilisers and pesticides. Mineral dust from industry also settles on land and stops water from soaking in. Degraded soil grows less food and is costly to restore.
Example
Different causes dominate in different states. In Punjab and Haryana, over-irrigation has caused waterlogging and salinity. In Jharkhand, mining is the main cause. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, overgrazing is. The ISRO-SAC Atlas (2021) found about 97.85 million hectares, roughly 30 per cent of India, degraded in 2018-19.
Don't confuse with
- Soil erosion: erosion means soil is physically carried away. Degradation is the wider fall in soil quality, and it can happen even when the soil stays in place, for example through salinity.