Desertification Affects Over One-fourth Area Of India : Report

New Delhi, April 29, IRNA -- Over one-fourth of Indiaˈs geographical area is undergoing the process of desertification despite ongoing efforts to combat the problem, a government report says. The Environment Ministry report submitted to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification said the problem of land degradation and drought continues in India which has a total geographic area of 328 million hectares. Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) has hit 7,91,475 sq km of the territory covering almost all states and union territories of the country, it says. ˈ... The problem of land degradation continues to be a major source of environmental concern in India with consequent implications for its sustainable development,ˈ the report says. According to the Environment Ministry, the total area undergoing the process of land degradation in the country is estimated at 105.48 million hectares, which constitutes 32.07 per cent of Indiaˈs total land area, pti reported. India has a total geographic area of 328 million hectares, out of which dry lands constitute an area of 228.3 million hectares (about 69.6 per cent). The new report says that major challenges remain in the area of land use planning, management of waste and degraded land, and efficient use of water resources. ˈThere is an inherent and urgent need for establishing a clear monitoring mechanism of the impacts of all these programs and schemes in terms of improving the livelihood status and socio-economic conditions of the people as well as improvement of the ecosystem in the affected areas and regions,ˈ it says. India has taken several steps including Integrated Watershed Management Program, National Rural Drinking Water Program, MNREGA, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Green India Mission to address the problem. Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities. Desertification is a significant global ecological and environmental problem. Dry lands occupy approximately 40–41 per cent of Earth’s land area and are home to more than 2 billion people. It has been estimated that some 10–20 per cent of dry lands are already degraded, the total area affected by desertification being between 6 and 12 million square kilometers, that about 1–6 per cent of the inhabitants of dry lands live in desert areas, and that a billion people are under threat from further desertification. The Sahara is currently expanding south at a rate of up to 48 kilometers per year./end