Soil erosion, lack of organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity are serious soil degradation conditions. These can accelerate the soil erosion process. Soil erosion is a major problem of Indian soils that makes the fertile land unfit for agriculture. Approximately, one – forth of Indian land is suffering from this type of problem.
Areas of soil erosion: The main areas of soil erosion in India are Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. This problem emerges due to the overflow of the rivers Yamuna, Chambal, Damodar, Mahanadi, and is generally seen in their valleys. The soil erosion is seen in two forms as sheet erosion and gully erosion. Due to gully erosion, ‘behads’ have formed in the regions of Yamuna and Chambal rivers.
