Protect soil after a year of landslides
World Soil Day passed with a whimper on December 5. The PM released a customary message, but not much action was seen on the ground.
by Nanditha Krishna
Mundakkai in Wayanad after the landslides
Year
2024 saw huge landslides in several places across India, causing death, injury
and devastation to people and animals. July was perhaps the cruellest month for
it. On the 16th of the month, a landslide in Shirur in Karnataka resulted in
nine deaths. According to the Geological Survey, it was caused by a mix of
construction work being carried out by the National Highways Authority and
heavy rainfall.
It was
a similar story in some other parts of the country, too. A series of nine
landslides caused by heavy rains occurred in Vilangad, Kerala at the end of the
month, resulting in several deaths. Thirteen houses were destroyed and many
were partially damaged.
India’s
deadliest landslide ever also occurred at the end of this July in Wayanad.
Again, heavy rains made the hillsides collapse. It caused 254 fatalities and
397 injuries. Heavy rains are common in this region of Kerala, but landslides
of such a scale were unknown. Deforestation and excessive construction were the
main causes.
In
December, a landslide occurred in the rocky Thiruvannamalai on the slopes of
the Annamalaiyar Hill, after a heavy rainfall unusual for the region. Seven
persons died after a boulder fell on their house. Another landslide occurred
the next day. The cause, again, was excessive construction.
Earlier
in the year, some 1,521 landslides were recorded over 17 days in Uttarakhand.
Roads and bridges, causeways and hillsides were washed away after downpours.
Development in the Himalayas is a recipe for disaster. We seem to have
forgotten that the hills in the region, which are slowly growing taller, are
covered by a thick layer of soil, unlike the solid rocks of the Deccan.
Land,
soil or bhumi is one of the pancha mahabhuta, or five sacred elements. Bhumi
Devi symbolises land, the spouse of Vishnu who sits at his feet. Mother Earth
is a primordial deity worshipped in nearly every village temple in India in
different forms. Yet, we have not refrained from neglecting and abusing her.
The
World Soil Day arrived on December 5—dedicated to the theme ‘Caring for soil:
measure, monitor, manage’—and departed with a whimper. The prime minister
released a customary message, but not much action was seen on ground.
Suggested
by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN General Assembly designated
the date in 2013. The decade of 2015-24 was proclaimed the International Decade
of Soils. Unfortunately, the whole decade is over without any reasonable soil improvement
measures in India. The statistics of damages all over the world are endless,
too.
Of all
our resources, land is the most tangible—a finite resource worth protecting. On
paper, India has 329 million hectares of land area, of which 24 mha are either
inaccessible or under foreign occupation, 28 mha under urban or
non-agricultural use, 16 mha are barren lands and only 250 mha are available
for potential use. Of the 250 mha, 72 mha are under forest cover. Most of the
175 mha available for agriculture suffers from serious water and wind erosion
or is affected by excessive salinity, alkalinity or water-logging and other
damaging factors.
We
need an adequate amount of arable land to feed 1.4 billion people. Yet, as
these landslides show, that resource is degrading. The causes include the
pressure of excessive population growth, deforestation, erosion, dumping of
industrial waste, excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, badly
planned construction of roads and buildings and mining, which is a growing
industry. Meanwhile, unchecked grazing on forest lands by animal-based food
industries is also eroding nutrients in those areas.
Floods
and droughts are often man-made problems. More than a third of our land is
drought-prone, leading to severe problems for people and animals. Drought can
result of the over-exploitation of natural resources, excessive groundwater
withdrawal and permitting water bodies to be silted up.
Chennai,
for one, had about 60 large water bodies; but they have come down to just 28,
most of which are small. Floods could be prevented by good vegetal cover, which
helps in reducing run-offs, increasing infiltration and reducing soil erosion.
Unfortunately, when roads are constructed, huge trees are cut down first,
making the land barren.
It has
been estimated that 35 per cent of greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere are linked to changes in land use. Crops, forests and wetlands have
the potential to mitigate these emissions, thereby enhancing ecosystem
services. The organic matter in soil filters and cleans water, improves its
retention and storage, and mitigates the impact of extreme weather events.
Soil
provides ecosystem services critical for life, acting as a water filter and a
habitat for millions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity, besides
supplying antibiotics. Most importantly, it provides us food, fuel and feed for
animals. Its fertility can be restored by using local agricultural practices.
After all, people have been able to live off the land for thousands of years by
renewing soil fertility.
Millions
of tonnes of topsoil are lost every year. Such loss threatens the future of
life on our planet. Soil structure is improved by the various organisms living
within it. Importantly, healthy soil also helps in regulating climate change.
We should remember that though India’s total forest cover is about 22 per cent,
tree cover is a mere 3 per cent. Forests contribute to the soil’s health by
adding organic matter through decomposing leaves; trees improve the soil’s structure,
cycle nutrients and support microbial life, prevent erosion, and increase the
soil’s ability to absorb and retain water.
We
need healthy soil for our survival. Badly planned construction and unchecked
mining will merely lead to more landslides and floods. It’s time we paid heed
for the sake of our future.
Nanditha
Krishna
Historian,
environmentalist and writer based in Chennai
Source: The Indian Express_21.12.2024
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