Question

Study the picture of the Chambal Valley. What is responsible for erosion here? Briefly describe how soil is eroded in this case.

Answer 1

The erosion seen in the Chambal Valley is mainly caused by gully erosion due to water runoff. During heavy downpours, deep gullies are formed on bare soil areas as the rainwater runoff washes away the soil. This process removes nutrients and a large load of loose soils, which makes the land unproductive, and the water becomes very muddy. Over time, the water runoff cuts deeper and wider grooves in the soil, creating ravines and badlands, as seen in the Chambal Valley.

Soil is eroded here primarily by heavy rainfall washing away the soil from areas with little or no vegetation cover. The absence of vegetation means there is no root system to hold the soil together, and the water runoff flows with enough force to create deep gullies by carrying soil particles away. This stage of erosion follows sheet erosion (removal of a thin soil layer) and rill erosion (formation of small grooves), advancing to gully erosion with larger and deeper channels formed by concentrated water flow.