The Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar, has stated that about a quarter of the land in India is turning in to desert due to overuse, excessive grazing and changing rainfall patterns. If this is true, India will face a very serious situation. A report by Reuters is reproduced below:

NEW DELHI: About a quarter of India’s land is turning to desert and degradation of agricultural areas is becoming a severe problem, the environment minister said, potentially threatening food security in the world’s second most populous country.

India occupies just 2 per cent of the world’s territory but is home to 17 per cent of its population, leading to over-use of land and excessive grazing. Along with changing rainfall patterns, these are the main causes of desertification.

“Land is becoming barren, degradation is happening,” said Prakash Javadekar, minister for environment, forests and climate change. “A lot of areas are on the verge of becoming deserts but it can be stopped.” Land degradation — largely defined as loss of productivity — is estimated at 105 million hectares, constituting 32 per cent of the total land.(Courtesy: Reuters)