Lok Sabha Question No. 5493 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-05
Subject: Survey to Assess Soil Erosion
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5493

TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 th  APRIL, 2022

## SURVEY TO ASSESS SOIL EROSION

5493.  SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

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

- (a) whether the Government has conducted any periodical study or scientific survey to assess the nature and the extent of the soil erosion in the country;
- (b) if so, the details along with the findings thereof, if any; and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  agricultural  areas  affected  due  to  soil  erosion  in  the  country during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise?

## 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.  The  Indian  Council  of Agricultural Research (ICAR) based on harmonized database reported soil erosion (soil loss more than 10 tonnes/ha/yr) in the country as 92.4 million hectares under cultivable area (NAAS 2010). The State-wise details of soil erosion in cultivable land are  given  in Annexure-I .    As  per  the  latest  national  level  inventory  on  land degradation  and  desertification  status  mapping  prepared  by  the  Indian  Space Research  Organization  using  Indian  Remote  Sensing  satellite  data  at  1:500000 scale, 42.61 million ha of cultivable area is affected due to soil erosion in the country (SAC 2021). The State-wise details are placed at Annexure-II.

*****

## Annexure-I

## [Part (a) to (c) of Unstarred Question no. 5493 to be answered on 5 th  April, 2022]

State-wise cultivable area affected by soil erosion in India (NAAS 2010)

| 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.

## [Part (a) to (c) of Unstarred Question no. 5493 to be answered on 5 th  April, 2022]

State-wise cultivable area affected by soil erosion in India during 2018-19 (SAC 2021)

| Name of State     | Area ('000 ha)   |
|-------------------|------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 690.58           |
| Arunachal Pradesh | -                |
| Assam             | 31.83            |
| Bihar             | 327.00           |
| Chhattisgarh      | 681.90           |
| Delhi             | -                |
| Goa               | 30.33            |
| Gujarat           | 4333.98          |
| Haryana           | 142.39           |
| Himachal Pradesh  | 238.91           |
| Jammu & Kashmir   | 35.15            |
| Jharkhand         | 3913.13          |
| Karnataka         | 4740.11          |
| Kerala            | -                |
| Ladakh            | -                |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 396.17           |
| Maharashtra       | 7631.25          |
| Manipur           | 8.07             |
| Meghalaya         | 54.45            |
| Mizoram           | 8.12             |
| Nagaland          | -                |
| Odisha            | 4439.80          |
| Punjab            | 12.23            |
| Rajasthan         | 10268.82         |
| Sikkim            | -                |
| Tamil Nadu        | 3.03             |
| Telangana         | 2812.20          |
| Tripura           | 174.27           |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 304.03           |
| Uttarakhand       | 11.94            |
| West Bengal       | 1323.28          |
| Total             | 42612.94         |

Source: SAC  (2021). Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (Assessment and analysis  of  changes  over  15  years  based  on  remote  sensing). Space Applications Centre, ISRO. Ahmedabad, India.

*****