India & Desertification
India is a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Government of India in fulfillment of one of the obligations of the parties to the convention, submitted a National Action Programme to Combat Desertification to the Secretariat of the UNCCD in 2001.
- In India, the total area under desertification is 81.45 mha.
- Water erosion (26.21 mha), wind erosion (17.77 mha), vegetal degradation (17.63 mha) and frost shattering (9.47 mha) are the major processes of desertification.
- Nearly one third of the country’s land area (32.07%) is undergoing processes of land degradation.
- There are about eight major processes of land degradation active in the country.
- Water erosion is the most pronounced process, followed by vegetal degradation and aolian processes. Total area under land degradation is 105.48 mha.
- Area-wise Rajasthan, J&K, Gujarat and Maharashtra have high proportions of land undergoing degradation.
- 81.45 mha land area of the country is undergoing the process of desertification.
The following picture shows the processwise Land Degradation status of India
