Land in India suffers from varying degrees and types of degradation. These are increasing mainly due to the factors mentioned below:
- Deforestation, i.e. reckless cutting down of trees resulting in loss of vegetation.
- Indiscriminate and over exploitation of forest products such as fuel wood and over grazing.
- Conversion of forest lands into agricultural lands.
- Forest fire and faulty methods of cultivation.
- Excessive application of pesticides and insecticides. .
- Disproportionate and excessive use of chemical fertilizers in Indian agriculture.
- The irrigation systems in India are not properly planned and managed.
- Over exploitation of ground water for various competing utilities like human settlement, industrialization, etc.
- No proper introduction of crop rotation techniques and organic farming.
- Illiteracy and ignorance of rural population in respect of causes and effects of land degradation.
Land is indispensable for human settlement. If proper care ¡s not taken for the conservation of land and water, there shall be severe scarcity of water and natural resources in future which may lead to conflict among the countries.
