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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Addressing soil loss -Mohit M Rao

Addressing soil loss -Mohit M Rao

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published Published on Sep 5, 2018   modified Modified on Sep 5, 2018
-The Hindu

Floods often wash away rich, weathered soil. Rehabilitation programmes must consider this loss

As the rains abate in Kerala and parts of Kodagu district in Karnataka, the loss of lives and the devastation of infrastructure and crops is apparent. However, as rebuilding is planned, what is often ignored is the soil that has been washed away. While roads and houses will be rebuilt, and crop losses compensated partially through insurance, the gradual loss of soil productivity can have a lasting impact on the local economy.

Soil degradation due to flooding is a serious concern. A 2014 review of soil degradation in India by multiple institutions shows that an estimated 14 million hectares suffer soil degradation due to flooding annually.

The impact of floods on soil was also studied in detail following the 2009 floods in North Karnataka, which killed over 170 people and caused an estimated loss of over ?16,500 crore. Researchers from the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) and other institutes estimate that 13 flood-hit districts lost 287 million tonnes of top soil and soil nutrients across 10.75 million hectares of farmland. Under market prices, the replacement of nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates and iron would have cost ?1,625 crore, while another ?853 crore would have been spent on replenishing organic material lost. To recover and replace would take a “considerable” amount of time, and a steadfast programme of recovery, they noted. Nine years later, there is no comprehensive scheme for recovery, and the effect of the floods is still visible on the ground. A soil profile of a few affected districts, done under the State’s integrated watershed scheme, shows large swathes of these areas having “shallow or very shallow” soil depth, organic carbon deficiency, and low productivity of land.

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The Hindu, 5 September, 2018, https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/addressing-soil-loss/article24866061.ece?homepage=true


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