Soil Erosion

In this post we are learning about soil erosion, causes of soil erosion, and prevention of soil erosion.

Soil erosion is when the layers of soil is blown away by the wind or washed away by the rain.Soil erosion is seen commonly in areas with steep slopes, where trees have been cut down, in droughts when crops and other vegetation grows poorly and in rural areas which are overpopulated. We can find soil erosion very prominently in Nepal, in the Himalayan Mountains, has severe problems caused by increased population density and steep slopes.

Soil erosion can be reduced by building terraces on hillsides, irrigation schemes to overcome droughts, planting more trees to bind the soil together and make wind breaks, and using fertilizers in overpopulated areas to make the soil more fertile. It is very important that the farming techniques used do not damage the structure of the soil, as this makes it easily eroded. Good farming techniques include contour ploughing, crop rotation and keeping the soil rich in humus.