68,000 hectares in Nilgiris prone to soil erosion in the coming years, says ICAR studies

Erratic and high intensity rainfall in recent years cited as the reason by Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation

With high intensity rainfall becoming more prevalent in the Nilgiris in recent years, the Udhagamandalam station of the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC-ICAR), has warned that around 68,000 hectares of the Nilgiris could be prone to severe soil erosion in the coming years.

S. Manivanan, Principal Scientist at the IISWC-ICAR, who took part in an awareness programme organized for farmers in the district on how to control soil erosion, said that each year, the district loses around 20 to 40 tonnes of top soil due to vegetable cultivation without ensuring any soil erosion control measures.

He said that the “conducive agro-climate” of the Nilgiris favored cultivation of crops, even along steep slopes, adding that “erratic rainfall due to climate change” could further increase soil erosion at an alarming rate in the district.

Studies by the IISWC-ICAR have shown that not only does soil erosion lead to decrease in soil fertility, but also leads to silting up of streams and water bodies and severely reducing the capacity of water bodies and increasing the chances of flooding. Farmers were told to adopt contour cultivation and bench terraces, which studies have shown have reduced soil loss by 62 percent in areas where contour cultivation has been undertaken, and up to 98 percent in potato field where bench terraces were used for farming.

Members of farmers producers groups were part of the training undertaken at the Udhagamandalam station which was organized by the IISWC in collaboration with the Agricultural Engineering Department with support from the Special Area Development Programme (SADP) on Friday. A total of 75 farmers producers groups have been selected with 375 farmers set to be trained in understanding soil conservation techniques advocated by the IISWC.