With high intensity rainfall becoming more prevalent in the Nilgiris in recent years, the Udhagamandalam station of the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC-ICAR), has warned that around 68,000 hectares of the Nilgiris could be prone to severe soil erosion in the coming years.
S. Manivanan, Principal Scientist at the IISWC-ICAR, who took part in an awareness programme organized for farmers in the district on how to control soil erosion, said that each year, the district loses around 20 to 40 tonnes of top soil due to vegetable cultivation without ensuring any soil erosion control measures.
He said that the “conducive agro-climate” of the Nilgiris favored cultivation of crops, even along steep slopes, adding that “erratic rainfall due to climate change” could further increase soil erosion at an alarming rate in the district.
