QUE. A large area of ​​Gujarat is made up of saline soil. Explain the reasons behind this and suggest measures to reuse it.

A large area of ​​Gujarat is made up of infertile saline soil. Reasons like high temperature, low rainfall, landslides, effect of sea water, human intervention etc. are responsible for this salinity.

• Reasons behind formation of alkaline soils in Gujarat:

• The saline soils of Kutch region (in the desert region) are extremely saline. There, the rainfall is less and the temperature is very high. Due to this, evaporation is more.

• Also, sea water circulates in the small desert. After evaporation, the salt crust freezes, making the soil alkaline.

• Also, coastal areas, which are areas of estuary mud, are permanently flooded by sea water, so the soils here are alkaline. 

• As the areas that were previously under sea water have been uplifted due to the action of tectonic movements, alkaline soils have been formed due to the accumulation of sea water and sediment deposition in such areas by rivers.

• The Nanaran regions of Kutch, the regions near the coast from Bhavnagar to Valsad, the Nal Sarovar and Banaskantha regions are such saline areas.

• In the northern and eastern parts of Saurashtra and in the coastal regions of Kutch, saline areas are formed due to the inflow of sea water.

• Also, in the Saurashtra areas, the water used for irrigation has become alkaline due to the mixing of sea water. Therefore, if it is used for irrigation, the land also becomes alkaline.

• The land also becomes alkaline due to human activities. Due to the construction of large irrigation projects (Ukai, Kadana, Sardar Sarovar Project etc.), the problem of alkaline lands has arisen due to the permanent and excessive water supply to the lands.

• Remedies for reusing saline lands:

• To rehabilitate saline lands, salt-absorbing trees like Juliflora (native acacia) and Kesuri should be planted. These trees should be planted on the border of the desert, on both sides of the river and around the canals.

• Chemical method: In this method, soil can be improved by using gypsum, sulfur, sulfuric acid, molasses, etc. as soil improvers. These substances are sprinkled on the field, ploughed and mixed into the soil.

• Mechanical method: Salt is washed away by building embankments in the soil, filling it with salt water and the white layer of salt in the saline soil is collected and removed.

• Farming method: Crops are grown that add organic matter. For example, tobacco, barley, sugar beet, guava, date palm etc. 

• In addition, the High Level Soils Act of 1976 suggested measures to reduce salinity, which are as follows:

• Build check dams, embankments, and recirculation ponds.

• Install automatic gates to prevent tidal surges.

• Change cropping patterns.

• Grow salt-absorbing crops that grow with less water and absorb more salts.

    Plant new forests.

Thus, despite having some fertile land areas in many areas of Gujarat, due to over-irrigation, single cropping system etc., the crops are facing the problem of soil salinity. Thus, through proper and sustainable agricultural practices and irrigation system under scientific guidance, soil fertility can be restored and the problem of alkaline soils can be solved.