Land Soil Water Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources Test - 8

• India is currently, under no such stress; however, it is expected to become a moderate water scarce country by 2050.India is a developing country which needs water for its increasing population and economy. It is being projected that water demand in India is going to be as high as 24% by 2025.

The most appropriate method to verify soil erosion on steep slopes is terrace cultivation.Terrace farming is a method of farming whereby “steps” known as terraces are built onto the slopes of hills and mountains. When it rains, instead of rain carrying away the soil nutrients and plants down the slope, they flow to the next terrace. Every step has an outlet which channels water to the next step.

• Dachigam National Park is located 22 kilometers from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It covers an area of 500 km². The name of the park literally stands for "ten villages" which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated for its formation
• Khangchendzonga National Park also Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve is a National Park and a Biosphere reserve located in Sikkim, India
• The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established in 1982, is situated around the peak of Nanda Devi in the state of Uttarakhand in Northern India
• The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal.

In recent years, multi-purpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and opposition for a variety of reasons. Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life. Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning. The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also submerge the existing vegetation and soil leading to its decomposition over a period of time.

Arid soils develop due to high temperature and evaporation.

Over irrigation is main cause of land degradation in Punjab due to waterlogging leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh are the states facing issue of land degradation.

It sounds incredible but it’s true that the world’s wettest town - Cherrapunji - is now suffering from a shortage of drinking water. The problem is that Cherrapunji lies atop a high limestone plateau. Rain falling on the town drains away immediately. Very little rain collection takes place, because the locals don’t like the taste of water running off rusty tin roofs. With a growth in the town population, water has to be carried up from the plains during the drier winter months.

• Soil erosion is the loss of top fertile layer of soil either by wind or by water.
  
• India is facing this problem in many parts. The area affected by soil erosion is 5, 00,000 square kilometres. It adversely affects productivity and economy of the country.
  
• There are many techniques to prevent soil erosion. But important step is to increase planting of trees or afforestation.