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The Collection and Analysis of Land Degradation Data

S. M. Shaheed
Director (formerly)
SRDI, Dhaka

Agencies/Institutions involved
BADC, BARI, BAU, BBS, BJRI, BFRI, BINA, BMD, BRRI, BTRI, BWDB, CU, DU, DOE, RRI, SPARRSO, SRDI, SRTI, BARC, BCAS, WARPO

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Major types of land degradation that occur in Bangladesh constitute soil erosion, river bank erosion, salinization, sedimentation, waterlogging and soil fertility depletion. The surface soils in different slopes of the hills are being continuously washed away. About 75% of hilly areas have very high susceptibility to erosion. Sheet erosion poses a serious problem locally in parts of the Madhupur, Barind and Akhaura tracts. Rill and gully erosions occur in the hill areas. Landslides occur in the hills with 70% slope or steeper during heavy depressional rainfalls. The active floodplain with very unstable alluvial lands (about 1.7 million ha) are susceptible to variable degrees of bank erosion. Sand dunes in young alluvial lands (char lands) of Kustia is a visual symptom of wind erosion. Depletion of soil fertility is widespread. Out of 2.85 million ha of coastal and offshore areas about 0.87 million ha is affected by soil salinity. Very severe forms of acidification have been observed in coastal area in about 62,000 ha of active acid sulfate soils. Drainage congestion occurs causing seasonal waterlogging in different parts. Localized semi-desert or seasonal desert like conditions are sometimes seen in Barind Tract and in sandy tracts of old Himalayan piedmont plain.

Keywords: Land degradation, Soil erosion, Salinity, Ferility depletion

Location: Throughout the country

Start Date: 01-01-1993

End Date: 30-10-1993

Program Area: Risk Management in Agriculture

Commodity: Land degradation

Objectives:

Land degradation refers to the reduction in land quality in relation to crop productivity. In fact land degradation data are scarce and rarely based on commonly acceptable technology. As such main objectives of this study is to throw light on available data on land degradation, their methods of collection, and techniques of analysis utilized in Bangladesh for exchange of ideas among various countries of Asia and the Pacific Region. It aims to develop a commonly acceptable methodology for collection and analysis of land degradation data for use in establishment of updatable national and eventually regional land degradation data bases.

Methodology:

1. Source material Water erosion: BFRI, BARI, and Department of Botany, CU. Also consultancy reports of Layzell and IUCN. Bank erosion: RSS maps and reports of SRDI and the book entitled Quaternary Geology of the Bengal Basin by Morgan and McIntire (1956). Wind erosion: Personal communication of SRDI staff and RSS reports. Nutrient status: Thana Land and Soil Resource Utilization Guides (Thana Nirdeshika). In addition, country reports of FAO and the land resource appraisal reports of Bangladesh for agriculture development of FAO/UNDP. Salinization and alkalinization: RSS reports and Thana Nirdeshika of SRDI. Reports of soil and water salinity monitoring program of SRDI and compilation report of BARC. Waterlogging: BWDB, MPO (now WARPO), RSS maps and reports of SRDI. Groundwater: Mainly BWDB, MPO, UNDP, and the groundwater stability report of L.R. Khan. 2. Data collection Method Water erosion data were collected from indirect measurement of removal of soil mass from the soil surface by assessing the exposure of tree roots with respect to certain reference points within a specific time. Direct measurement of soil loss from standard erosion plots were conducted by BARI at Ramgarh during the sixties. Bank erosion: Bank erosion studies were mainly conducted by comparing temporal and spatial differences in bank alignment/river course as observed on aerial photographs and satellite images of different times. Bank line surveys used to be made by BWDB in earlier days for this purpose. Soil fertility status: Thana-wise (with an average area of 300km²) special semi-detailed soil surveys by SRDI. Composite topsoil samples for each soil group/400ha or less and routine chemical analysis of almost all the major and minor plant nutrients by SRDI, BARI, BINA and BRRI. Data from selected representative fertility monitoring sites. Soil and water salinity by electrical conductivity bridge. Groundwater study: Selected open and piezometric wells. BADC, DPHE and WASA.

Source of Information: The collection and analysis of land degradation data. 1994. RAPA, FAO, RAPA pub: 1994/3

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Government

Budget: Not estimated

Total Budget (Tk.) : Not estimated

Achievement/Findings:

Major types of land degradation that occur in Bangladesh constitute: soil erosion, river bank erosion, Salinization, Sedimentation, waterlogging and soil fertility depletion. The major causative factors are water erosion resulting from deforestation in and outside the country, siltation of river courses, flash floods, massive dry season river flow diversion in upper riparian areas resulting in abnormal low flows and inland intrusion of tidal saline water, unplanned groundwater abstraction and poor soil management. Data or information on land degradation may serve as a tool on which future development planning is to be based. The close dependence on data and development planning has led many nations to embark upon systemic data collection. Ground trothed land degradation data collection and their systemic analysis is imperative to base the development planning on more realistic footing. Consequently, the data must be versatile and needs to be collected and analyzed with utmost care following a commonly acceptable methodology and preserved for future use in readily retrievable forms. There should be continuous efforts to improve the quality of data and remove the inconsistencies. Awareness must be created among policy makers, the professionals and end-users of Asia and the Pacific region on the importance of the establishment and management of land degradation data base. Extensive on the job training for the working scientists/ technicians should be imparted in order to develop capabilities to collect, store and analyze land degradation data. There should be a common policy to collect relevant data of the specific work so that they are systematically processed, scientifically stored and methodically compiled and stored.

Knowledge Management: Journal, Report/Proceedings