What do you know about soil erosion ? Explain.

The running water or wind loosens soils which are caused due to various activities of man such as deforestation, over-grazing and the irrational methods of cultivation.

Ways of soil erosion : The soils erosion occurs in two ways. They are : (i) Sheet Erosion, (i) Gully Erosion.

(i) Sheet Erosion: It takes place on the gentle slopes where rain water removes the soil in rather uniform thin layers. This results in removal of fine particles from the soil layer over a large area.

(ii) Gully Erosion: It takes place on the steep slopes where the running water cuts easily into the soil and forms deep channels and converts the land into bad land. The ravines of Chambal valley in India are the result of gully erosion.

Methods of Conservation : As the soil is an important resource, so its conservation is necessary. It may be conserved by adopting the following methods :

1. Afforestation, reforestation and checking of blind deforestation.

2. Checking of overgrazing.

3. Terracing the hill slopes before cultivation.

4. Adopting the contour ploughing.

5. Construction of bund across slopes.

6. Strip cropping in dry areas to conserve the sub-soil moisture.