Digieducation Learning Point

  Geography What are the causes of land degradation? What are the ways to solve this problem? Ans. Causes of land degradation: (1) Mining sites are abandoned after the excavation work is done, leaving deep scars of overburdening. In states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, deforestation due to mining has caused severe land degradation. (ii) Overgrazing in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra is one of the main reasons behind land degradation. (iii) Overirrigation and waterlogging lead to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the states of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, thereby leading to land degradation. (iv) Mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and soapstone for ceremic industry generate huge quantities of dust in the atmosphere. It stops the infiltration of water in the soil. (v) Industrial effluents as wastes have become a major source of land and water pollution in many ...