Important Facts For Prelims
Wasteland Atlas-2019
- 07 Nov 2019
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development has released the fifth edition of Wastelands Atlas (2019).
- It has been prepared by the Department of Land Resources (Ministry of Rural Development) in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Department of Space.
Significance of Wasteland Atlas
- Unprecedented pressure on the land beyond its carrying capacity is resulting in the degradation of lands in the country.
- Therefore, robust geospatial information on wastelands will be helpful in rolling back the wastelands for productive use through various land development programmes.
Key Points
- A reduction in the wasteland area was observed in the categories of land with dense scrub, marshy land, sandy areas, and degraded pastures.
- The wastelands have undergone a positive change in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal.
- The majority of wastelands have been changed into categories of croplands, plantation and industrial areas.
Wastelands
- Wastelands are a barren and uncultivated land lying unproductive or which is not being utilized to its potential.
- It includes degraded forests, overgrazed pastures, drought-struck pastures, eroded valleys, hilly slopes, waterlogged marshy lands, barren land, etc.
