Question

Explain how human activities have caused land degradation?

Answer 1

Careless use of land becomes one of the major causes of land degradation which is the result of the following human activities:

1. Excessive use of fertilizers , pesticides as it effects the fertility of the soil.

2. Over grazing, deforestation

3. Over irrigation increases the salt deposits in the soil

4. Excessive practice of shifting cultivation leads to land degradation

5. Dumping of industrial effluents

Answer 2

Answer:

The loss of biological and economical value of land such as loss in soil fertility, forests and agricultural land is called as land degradation.

Land degradation can be caused by several reason like climate change, drought etc.

Human activities are a major force in driving the land the degrade.

i.e.

• Deforestation : Cutting down of forest.
• Excessive use of pesticides/insecticides : Uses of pesticides and insecticides more than the usually quantity in farming causes the soil to lose their fertility.
• Overgrazing of animals : Overgrazing of cattles causes the desertification and soil erosion.
• Shifting agriculture : Shifting agriculture which is also known as slash and burn agriculture causes the land to become useless in an agricultural point of view.
• Excessive mining : Excessive extraction of minerals causes the decrease in the mineral value of soil.
• Overuse of irrigation facilities : Irrigation of land in farming causes the salts in the water to deposit in the soil which causes loss in soil fertility.
• Soil pollution : The non-degradable pollutants such as plastic harms the land in several ways such loss in soil fertility and land as a resource for urbanisation.
• Industrial dumping of chemicals : Industrial wastes contains harmful chemicals that dumped on lands causing the land to degrade in extreme ways.