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• Proper disposal of sewage and industrial wastes, so that it does not contaminate the water bodies around it.
• Building dams and reservoirs.
Soil Conservation
Soil contains important minerals which are used as nutrients for plants. These plants are the basis of food for all living
organisms including man. Soil is also a home of many microorganisms that fix nitrogen and decompose organic matter.
Loss of soil and its fertility can be due to several reasons like land overuse, erosion, salinisation, and chemical
contamination. We can conserve soil by using the given methods:
• Afforestation: Planting more trees on the land with few or no trees is called afforestation. Trees are used to anchor
the soil and reduce the amount of soil erosion undergone by that area. It also helps to offset excess carbon emitted
by industries.
• Terrace Farming: It is a method of cultivation of crops especially rice in hilly areas. In this method, the sloppy land
is carved into steps for planting crops. Each step has a mud barrier to prevent the washing away of soil nutrients by
the rain water. It also helps in reducing water loss and soil erosion.
• Changing agricultural practices: Retaining soil nutrients and preventing soil erosion can be done by following
changed agricultural practices like:
w Crop Rotation: It is the system of cultivating different varieties of crops on the same piece of land across different
seasons. This helps to conserve soil fertility as different crops have different requirements of soil nutrients.
w Contour Ploughing: In this method, the soil is ploughed along the contour to decrease the soil runoff. By growing
the crops in a contour pattern, plants can absorb more rain water and thus minimise the soil erosion.
w No-Till Farming: It is a method of growing crops without tilling the soil. This practice will not disturb the top
layer of soil and the last crop present in the top layer will be decomposed fast which helps in maintaining the soil
nutrients and preventing soil erosion.
• Wind Breaks: Dense rows of tall evergreen trees are planted around the boundaries of farm. This reduces wind
pressure and helps in preventing soil erosion due to wind and rain water.
• Salinity Management: The water after evaporating from the soil leaves behind salt. It is generally seen in the areas
near sea, lakes, oceans and in weathering of rocks. It affects soil fertility and reduces absorption of water by plant.
Using humic acids can prevent this or growing crops like saltbush can rejuvenate soil and replenish lost nutrients.
• Earthworms: Earthworms are considered as best friends of farmers. By introducing more earthworms, we can
increase the fertility of soil. They eat up the soil and fungi present in it due to no-till farming, digest the organic
matter present in it and excrete wastes full of plant nutrients known as worm cast which makes soil fertile. They
aerate the soil by making burrows.
Green Skills-I 123

