WASTELAND RECLAMATION

SUBMITTED BY: KHARUN NISSA

SUBMITTED TO: Dr SUMAN MOR

Wasteland reclamation
 Reclamation of wasteland means re-claiming it or to use it for productive
purpose. Wasteland reclamation is the process of turning barren,
sterile wasteland into something that is fertile and suitable for habitation
and cultivation.
 The National Wasteland Development Board (NWDB) has defined
wasteland as “degraded land which can be brought under vegetative cover
with reasonable effort and which is currently under utilized and land which
is deteriorating for lack of appropriate water and soil management or on
account of natural causes”.
 India with a land area of about 2.4% of the world , supports 15%of the
worlds population.
 ----44% used for agriculture
 ----23% covered with forest
 ----4% used for pasture and grazing fields
 ----8% for housing ,agro forestry , industrial areas. Roads etc
 ----14% barren
 ----8% miscellaneous purposes
 Rapid increase of urbanization , migration of population to town and cities
has created problems .
 the recalamtion of wasteland involves some basic land preparation and water
conservation measure before planting selected hardy plant species, which
should be able to survive under harsh condition .
 1: PHYSICAL METHOD:
 Essential and usefull for those area that have topographical problems like hilly
areas,
1 PHYSICAL METHOD:

 Essential and usefull for those area that have topographical problems like hilly
areas,

2 Chemical method
ARE applicable where loss of soil fertility can be replenished by the addition of
inorganic or organic amendments .
 Example: acidic soils can be neutralized by the addition of lime
 Alkali soil , application of gypsum is beneficial
3 BIOLOGICAL METHOD
 Use of plant and weeds for reclamation of wastelands.
Classification of wasteland
CULTIVABLE WASTE LAND
UNCULTIVABLE
• Gullies and/or ravines WASTE LAND
• Upland with or without scrub
• Waterlogged and marshy land • Barren rocky / stony
• salt affected waste/ sheet rock areas
• Land under shifting cultivation
• Steep sloping area
• Degraded forest land
• Degraded land under plantation • Snow covered and/ or
crops glacier area
• Shifting sands- inland /coastal
• Mining / industrial wastelands
 CAUSES OF WASTELAND FORMATION
NATURAL
--Undulating uplands
--snow covered land
--coastal saline areas
--sandy areas
ANTHROPOGENIC
• Over cultivation
• Deforestation
 Use as fuel wood.
 Shifting cultivation
 Commercial timber exploitation
 Clearing forests permanently for non forestry activities like human settlement, setting up
industries etc.
• Overgrazing
• Improper irrigation practices
Effects of Land Degradation
• Surface runoff and floods.
• Soil erosion & desertification.
• Loss of Nutrients & land productivity.
• Soil acidification/alkalinisation.
• Soil salinity.
• Loss of biodiversity.
• Long term socioeconomic impact on humans like migration.
Need for wasteland reclamation
• It provides a source of income for the rural poor.
• It ensures a constant supply of fuel, fodder and timber for local use.
• It makes the soil fertile by preventing soil erosion and conserving moisture.
• The program helps maintain an ecological balance in the area.
• The increasing forest cover helps in maintaining local climatic conditions.
Classification
Wastelands can be classified into three forms:
 (1) Easily reclaimable,
(2) Reclaimable with some difficulty,
(3) Reclaimable with extreme difficulty.
1  Easily reclaimable wastelands
 can be used for agricultural purposes. Wastelands can be reclaimed for agriculture
by reducing the salt content which can be done by leaching etc. Gypsum, urea,
potash and compost are added before planting crops in such areas.
2 . Reclaimed with some difficulty
These wastelands can be utilized for agro forestry. Agro forestry involves putting
land to multiple uses. Its main purpose is to have trees and crops inter- and/or
under planted to form an integrated system of biological production within a
certain area. Thus, agro forestry implies integration of trees with agricultural crops
or livestock management simultaneously.
3 Reclaimed with extreme difficulty
Can be used for forestry or to recreate natural ecosystem’
Methods' of wasteland reclamation

1. AFFORESTATION :
 It means growing the forest over culturable wasteland.

  2. REFORESTATION
 :Growing the forest again over the lands where they were existing and was destroyed
due to fires, overgrazing, and excessive cutting. Reforestation checks water logging,
floods, soil erosion and increase productivity of land.

3.PROVIDING SURFACE COVER

:The easiest way to protect the land surface from soil erosion is of leave crop residue
on the land after harvesting.
 4 MULCHING
 Mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of an area of soil .In this
protective cover of organic matter and plants like stalks, cotton stalks, tobacco
stalks etc. are used which reduce evaporation, help in retaining soil moisture
and reduce soil erosion
5 CHANGING GROUND TOPOGRAPHY ON DOWNHILL’S
 Running water erodes the hill soil and carries the soil along with it. This can be
minimized by following alternation in ground topography:
(a) Strip farming :
 Different kinds of crops are planted in alternate strip along the contour.
  (b) Terracing :
 In this arrangement, the earth is shaped in the form of leveled terraces to hold soil
and water. The terrace edges are planted with such plant species which anchor the
soil.
 (c) Contour ploughing:
 In this arrangement, the ploughing of land is done across the hill and not in up and
down style.
6; LEACHING:
In salt affected land, the salinity can be minimized by leaching
them with more water.
7. CHANGING AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Like mixed cropping, crop rotation and cropping of plants are adopted to improve
soil fertility.
8. ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION :
This refers to the natural development or redevelopment of an
ecosystem which help in reclaiming the minerally deficient soil of
wasteland.
Pros and cons of wasteland reclamation
 Wasteland and degraded soil are occupying vast stretches of land and
there reclamation assumes great significance in order to meet the
demands of growing population .
 Reclamation of any type of wasteland is a time consuming and costly
affair process as high expenditures are involved in practicing most of
the remedial measures in the initial stages
THANK YOU