Desertification and Land Degradation: India's Vulnerability

Introduction

Desertification - land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas - is one of India's most pressing environmental challenges. According to the ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC) report on Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (2021), nearly 97.85 million hectares (29.7%) of India's total geographical area is undergoing land degradation. India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and has committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Extent and Status in India

Degradation Types

• Water erosion: 68.4% of degraded land - sheet, rill, and gully erosion
• Wind erosion: 13.3% of degraded land - mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat
• Salinity/Alkalinity: 5.8% - irrigation-induced in canal command areas
• Vegetation degradation: 8.9% - loss of forest cover and grassland quality
• Waterlogging: Drainage congestion in deltaic and irrigated areas
• Rock outcrops and mining: 2.2% - permanent degradation

State-wise Distribution

• Rajasthan: Largest area affected (~67% of state)
• Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka: Significant degradation (over 30% each)
• Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh: High levels of water erosion
• North-east states: Shifting cultivation (jhum) contributes to land degradation

Trends

• Net increase of...