Dynamics of land degradation in Uttar Pradesh: Zone-wise analysis

The study was undertaken to assess the extent of land degradation in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The data for the various forms of wasteland was collected from Wasteland Atlas of India for the period from 2000–01 to 2015–16. The study revealed that the proportion of total wasteland areas to total geographical areas was declined from 9.42 to 3.54 percent during the period under investigation. The percentage change was estimated to be -62.42 percent. The percentage decline was registered in all the categories of degraded lands like Gullied/Ravine soil (−62.07 percent), upland with or without Scrub (−60.09 percent), waterlogged and marshy soil (−84.80 percent), saline/alkaline soil (−63.49 percent), underutilized/degraded notified (−2.15 percent), degraded pastures/grazing land (100.00 percent), degraded land under plantation (−100.00 percent), sand inland/coastal (−95.00 percent), barren rocky/stony waste/sheet rock area (−71.88 percent) except mining or industrial land. Mining and industrial land increased by 200.00 percent during the period from 2000–01 to 2015–16. Mining/industrial land increased because of urbanization and the installation of industries in the state. The decline in other categories of land was registered on account of the Land Reclamations Scheme launched by the U.P. Government to improve the quality of the land. With the increasing demand for land due to population pressure and ensure food security, it is the need of the hour to make more and more wastelands or degraded lands usable and cultivable.