Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, Nov 17, 2008
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, Nov 17, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio | Blogs |
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Mentor
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Books Columns - Leafing Through Restoring land’s health 
Every wasteland cannot be reclaimed to an agricultural land; some can be restored for agro-forestry (trees, crops and fodder all together), and some only for forestry, writes S.N. Chary in Environmental Studies ( www.macmillanindia.com). But how does fertile land become wasteland? Soil erosion is a major cause. “Due to rapid flow of surface water the topsoil may get washed away. Wind also can cause similar erosion,” the author explains. “Loss of vegetation on the soil adds to the rapidity with which soil may be eroded by the natural elements.” Other common reasons behind wasteland are soil salinity (caused often by excessive irrigation and waterlogging), pollution (arising from undue use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides which wipe out helpful microbes and insects), and lack of moisture. Chary rues that many ‘forests’ are only in the name since the vegetation is sparse in many of these ‘forests.’ Before trying to rectify or reclaim wastelands, a complete study of the soil is needed, he elaborates. “The study includes soil texture and composition; the topography of the wasteland and the surrounding region; the natural contours, the surface water flows; the type and extent of vegetative cover; the wind speeds and direction; and the rainfall or other precipitation — its amount, frequency, and timing.” Plus, you’d have to test the soil in the laboratories to arrive at the exact chemical composition and a correct diagnosis of the problem. Instructive. Drought impact
What happens when drought hits villagers? Here is an account from Srinivas Mudrakartha in one of the essays included in Droughts and Integrated Water Resource Management in South Asia: Issues, alternatives and futures, edited by Jasveen Jairath and Vishwa Ballabh ( www.sagepublications.com). “Over half the wells had water sufficient for just 30 minutes of pumping twice a day. The other wells had no water. Prices of essential commodities such as oil, wheat and bajri had escalated… The average milk production per cattle had decreased to 50 per cent in eight villages, and to about 33 per cent in others… A total of 46 buffaloes died in six villages within a period of one month.” Drought had its impact in several other ways, such as compelling most families to cut down on vegetables and green vegetables, milk, oil and ghee, which affected their nutritional status, and showed as thinner bodies and paler faces. More than 50 per cent of the well owners in the villages invested in deepening their wells or digging new borewells, but only 19 of the 243 wells deepened struck water, the author narrates. “The average investment in each well was around Rs 17,000, leading to huge debts…” No wonder, therefore, that around 20 per cent of all households in these villages migrated. “In another 20-30 per cent, the male members had migrated…” Down to earth. D. MURALI More Stories on : Books | Leafing Through
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