Ravine erosion and reclamation in India

Ravine and gully erosion affects 1% of India's land area. Zones of severe ravine trenching are found along the margins of the Gangetic Basin and in the semi-arid northwest. Ravine reclamation is currently rated as a high national priority, and India has the Third World's leading soil conservation movement. This paper reviews the technical contributions made to the study of ravine origins and genesis by government soil conservation research workers in the light of the dissident views expressed by academic geoscientists. It also reviews the soil conservation establishment's major contributions to cost-effective ravine reclamation planning. However, it is emphasised that while great advances have been made towards technological remedies for ravine erosion, relatively little has been accomplished in the realm of social science. Successful ravine reclamation requires the support and involvement of the local cultivator and local community and, probably, reform of local land tenure and social arrangements. Towards this end, much experience has been accumulated in non-government circles through the activities of Gandhian sarvodaya groups. It is recommended that their ideas and methods are integrated into ravine reclamation activities.