Desertification ~ nepal

 photo via: Nagarik Network

Once the soil loses its organic content to sustain the plant life or biomass production varying itself barren, as the result of soil erosion, deforestation, unmanaged urbanization and unsustainable agriculture, the soil is desertified. The country Nepal is vulnerable with the impacts of the global climate change directly impacting the nation's soil health. Country's bulldozer development in most corner's of the hilly districts while haphazard uses of the chemicals fertilizers, exploitations of riverbeds of Chure range for pebbles and yearly natural disasters, rainfall seriously deteriorates Nepal's soil resources.

The direct impacts of the desertification are in the yield loss and loss of biodiversity, and many times displacing human settlements. As the land becomes barren, the food insecurity becomes the major threat for the country which strives the country like Nepal to further strive for the other countries for the basic food. 

Article 30(2) of constitution of Nepal highlights the state's necessary activity for balancing environment and development along with the sustainable development. National Land Policy of 2019 strongly points legal provisions of the land for the nation's development. Land use policy 2015 attempts to delineate the land into 12 different land use class for the scientific use and utilization of the land. Similarly, the Forestry Sector Strategy (2016-2025) promotes the sustainable forest management to prevent the land degradation. 

The country direly needs to be vigilant in the country's soil health. Current jurisdictions under the local bodies should be fully utilized to monitor the soil and the land status within its territory. Current situation demands the full stop of the construction of the cheap roads in the fragile hills within Nepal. In the recent years, Nepal has gained praises for increasing her forest area, but this still do not fully complement the country's vulnerability in the soil health conditions. What requires more is the individuals in the local levels with the scientific enlightenment towards not only soil but the environment as well.