Invisible Scars: Threat of Gully Erosion

Syllabus: GS1/ Geography, GS3/ Environment

Context

• A Scientific Reports paper highlights that gully erosion can derail progress on at least nine of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, and climate action.

What is Gully Erosion?

• Gully erosion is a severe form of land degradation, marked by the carving of deep channels (gullies) into soil due to surface and subsurface runoff.
• It differs from other erosive forms due to its deeply erosive nature, high specific soil losses, and unpredictable behaviour.
• Status of Gully Erosion:
  • 51 global locations have reported gully-related disasters;  with Nigeria alone hosting 15.
  • In India, gully landforms are observed in 19 states and Delhi. Most affected regions are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Causes of Gully Erosion

• Vegetation Loss: The absence of trees and grasses weakens soil structure, making it vulnerable to erosion during rain.
• Irregular weather patterns—long dry spells followed by heavy rain—reduce vegetation and increase runoff, worsening gully erosion.
• Improper disposal of solid waste in drainage channels blocks flow, creating turbulence that deepens and widens gullies during storms.
• Weak Soils: Sandy or loosely packed soils erode more easily under water pressure, especially in regions like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Impact of Gully Erosion

• Loss of Topsoil: Gully erosion removes the fertile topsoil layer, which is essential for agriculture. Once lost, it takes decades or centuries to regenerate.
  • The removal of fertile land leads to declining agricultural productivity, threatening food security (SDG 2: Zero Hunger) and farmer livelihoods.
• Water Scarcity: Gully erosion disrupts the natural water-holding capacity of the land, increasing surface runoff and reducing groundwater recharge, leading to water stress and droughts. (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation)
• Ecosystem Degradation: Erosion leads to habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss, impacting local flora and fauna.
• Sediment Pollution: The displaced soil often ends up in rivers and reservoirs, leading to siltation, water pollution, and reduced storage capacity.

Way Ahead

• Reforestation: Planting native species in degraded catchments restores ecological balance and controls erosion over the long term.
• Land Use Planning: Adopting land use practices appropriate to soil and topography, such as terracing, agroforestry, and contour farming, reduces erosion risk.
• Check Dams: Small check dams made of stones, logs, or concrete across gullies reduce water speed, promote sediment deposition, and help in gully bed stabilisation.

Concluding remarks

• Gully erosion is a silent yet devastating form of land degradation that has been overlooked in mainstream environmental discourse. 
• As India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, it is imperative that it should adopt both preventive and remedial strategies to manage gully erosion effectively.

Source: DTE