India’s northeastern states desertifying most rapidly

• Six states in northeastern India were among the top 10 places in the country with the highest rates of desertification between 2003 and 2018, according to a recent report.
• These are Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.
• The report is based on most recent estimates by Space Applications Centre under Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Land degradation and Desertification

• Land degradation is defined as decline in productivity of land in terms of biodiversity and economy, resulting from various causes, including climate and human dominance, leading to loss of ecosystem.
• Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its water bodies as well as vegetation and wildlife.
• The scientists at ISRO compared the data collected between 2003 and 2005 with that gathered in 2018-19.

Findings:

• Mizoram has been desertifying at the fastest rate in the country, the ISRO data showed.
• Land degradation and desertification increased 2.8 times in the state in the 15-year period studied.
• The state lost more than 13 per cent of its land to degradation/desertification in 2018-19 itself, according to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, 2.4 per cent of the area or 0.2 mha underwent degradation/desertification in 2018-19.
• The actual figure may be small compared to other places in India but the rate of degradation was the third highest.

Reasons for land degradation and desertification

• Deforestation and loss of green cover are the main reasons for land degradation and desertification in the region.
• The entire region lost vast stretches of forests between 2011 and 2019, according to the State of India’s Forests report by the Forest Survey of India.
• Agricultural land in Assam and Meghalaya also extensively suffered from water logging, the second factor behind the increasing desertification rates.
• Human settlements and water erosion are other main reasons behind increasing vegetation loss and the resulting desertification in these states.