Lok Sabha Question No. 4369 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-29
Subject: Survey on Soil Erosion
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4369

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 th  MARCH, 2022

## SURVEY ON SOIL EROSION

## 4369. SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has periodically conducted any scientific survey/study to identify the extent and nature of soil erosion and land degradation across the country;

(b) if so, the findings thereof;

(c) the details of the cultivable area affected by soil erosion in the country during the last three years and the current year, State-wise and year-wise;

(d)  whether  the  Government  has  chalked  out  any  programme  for  reclamation  and development of such land in the country; and

(e) if so, the details thereof along with the success achieved thereunder during the said period?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a)  to  (c): There  is  no  periodical  conduct  of  scientific  survey  /  study  specifically  to identify the extent and nature of soil erosion and land degradation across the country. However,  assessment  has  been  made  by  different  agencies/organizations  using different  methodologies/criteria  from  time  to  time.  Details  of  assessments  made  are placed at Annexure-I .  As per NAAS (2010), the extent of soil Erosion (soil loss more than 10 tonnes/ha/yr)  in  cultivable  land  of  the  country  was  92.4  million  hectares  as assessed by the ICAR using the harmonized database. The State-wise details are given in Annexure-II.

(d) & (e) :  The Government under Reclamation of Problem Soils (RPS), a sub-scheme of  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY),  is  providing  assistance  for  reclamation  of lands affected by alkalinity, salinity and acidity. During 2016-17 to 2020-21, an amount of Rs. 58.76 crore (central shares) was released to the States and an area of 0.24 lakh ha has been developed.

The  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  has  developed  location  specific  bioengineering soil & water conservation measures, watershed management interventions, soil  reclamation measures for saline, alkali,  waterlogged and acid soils,  selection of suitable  crops  including  agro-forestry  interventions  to  prevent  and  manage  land degradation.

The Department of Land Resources has sanctioned 8214 watershed development projects during 2009-10 to 2014-15 in 28 states (now 27 states and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) under the erstwhile Integrated  Watershed  Management Programme  (IWMP).  IWMP  was  amalgamated  as  the  Watershed  Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) in 2015-16 for development of rainfed/ degraded Lands. During 2014-15 to 2021-22 (up to Q3), about 7.60  lakh  water  harvesting  structures  have  been  created/  rejuvenated,  bringing additional area of 16.27 lakh ha under protective irrigation and benefitting 35.62 lakh farmers. The Government of India has also sanctioned financial outlay of Rs. 8,134 crore with a physical target of 49.50 lakh ha under 'WDC-PMKSY-2.0' for the period of 2021-2026.  As  on  20.03.2022,  1099  projects  have  been  sanctioned  to  States/UTs covering an area of 49.21 lakh hectares.

*****

## Assessment of land degradation in India by different agencies/organizations

| Agencies/Organizations                                                                                                                                                        |   Year |   Area (million hectares) |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|---------------------------|
| National Commission on Agriculture                                                                                                                                            |   1976 |                    148.09 |
| Ministry of Agriculture (Soil and Water Conservation Division)                                                                                                                |   1978 |                    175    |
| National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA)                                                                                                                                         |   1985 |                     53.28 |
| Ministry of Agriculture                                                                                                                                                       |   1985 |                    173.64 |
| Ministry of Agriculture                                                                                                                                                       |   1994 |                    107.43 |
| ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP)                                                                                                          |   1994 |                    187.7  |
| ICAR-NBSS&LUP (Revised)                                                                                                                                                       |   2004 |                    146.82 |
| Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) based on harmonized database                                                        |   2010 |                    120.7  |
| Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Ahmedabad (based on Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data |   2016 |                     96.4  |
| Department of Land Resources in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (Wastelands Atlas of India)                                                             |   2019 |                     55.77 |

## Annexure-II

## (Part (a) to (c) Unstarred Question No. 4369 to be Answered On 29 th  March, 2022)

State-wise cultivable area affected by soil erosion in India

| State                                | Area ('000 ha)   |
|--------------------------------------|------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) | 8093             |
| Arunachal Pradesh                    | 666              |
| Assam                                | 3248             |
| Bihar                                | 851              |
| Chhattisgarh                         | 3733             |
| Delhi                                | 28               |
| Goa                                  | 1                |
| Gujarat                              | 984              |
| Haryana                              | 306              |
| Himachal Pradesh                     | 982              |
| Jammu & Kashmir                      | 1369             |
| Jharkhand                            | 3219             |
| Karnataka                            | 7522             |
| Kerala                               | 490              |
| Madhya Pradesh                       | 12262            |
| Maharashtra                          | 8799             |
| Manipur                              | 122              |
| Meghalaya                            | 302              |
| Mizoram                              | -                |
| Nagaland                             | 46               |
| Orissa                               | 2227             |
| Punjab                               | 229              |
| Rajasthan                            | 19029            |
| Sikkim                               | 45               |
| Tamil Nadu                           | 2308             |
| Tripura                              | 109              |
| Uttar Pradesh                        | 13075            |
| Uttarakhand                          | 1018             |
| West Bengal                          | 1332             |
| Total                                | 92400            |

Source: Degraded and Wastelands of India - Status and Spatial Distribution, NAAS, New Delhi Publication, June 2010.