Question

Answer the following question in about 150 words.

What are the different types of environmental problems of land resources in India?

Answer 1

Land resources in India face multiple issues that lead to a decline in their productivity. The causes are both environmental and related to malpractices. The main environmental issues confronting Indian resources are:

1. Dependence on Erratic Monsoon: Irrigation covers only about 33 per cent of the cultivated area in India. Crop production on the rest of the cultivated land depends directly on rainfall. Poor monsoon adversely affects the supply of canal water for irrigation. Rainfall in drought-prone areas is too meagre and highly unreliable. Even the areas receiving high annual rainfall experience considerable fluctuations. This makes them vulnerable to both droughts and floods. Droughts and floods continue to be a twin menace in India.
2. Low productivity: Crop yields in the country are low compared to international levels. Indian agriculture is also very low compared to international standards. The vast rainfed areas of the country, particularly drylands, which mostly grow coarse cereals, pulses, and oilseeds, have very low yields.
3. Degradation of Cultivable Land: One of the serious problems arising from the faulty strategy of irrigation and agricultural development is the degradation of land resources. It leads to depletion of soil fertility. In irrigated areas, a large tract of agricultural land lost its fertility due to soil alkalization, salinisation, and waterlogging. Excessive use of chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides has led to their concentration in toxic amounts in the soil profile. Leguminous crops have been displaced from the cropping pattern in the irrigated areas, and the duration of fallow has substantially reduced owing to multiple cropping. This has obliterated natural fertilisation processes, such as nitrogen fixation. Rainfed areas also experience several types of degradation, such as soil erosion by water and wind, which are often induced by human activities.