World’s Soil Resources

Open forest
Degradation type
Arable land (million ha)
(10 tonnes ha -1 yr -1 )
73.27 9.30
Soil Loss Map of
India–CSWCR&TI
Wind erosion (Aeolian) 12.40 –
Wind Erosion Map of
India–CAZRI
Chemical degradation
Sub-total 85.67 9.30
Exclusively
salt- affected soils #
Salt-affected and
water eroded soils
5.44
1.20 0.10
Salt-Affected Soils
Map of India, CSSRI,
NBSS&LUP, NRSA and
others
Exclusively acidic soils
5.09 -
(pH< 5.5) #
Acid Soil Map of India
NBSS&LUP Acidic
(pH < 5.5) and water
Acidic soils (pH< 5.5)
and eroded soils
5.72 7.13
Physical degradation
Sub-total 17.45 7.23
Mining and industrial
waste
0.19
Wasteland Map of
India–NRSA
Waterlogging
(permanent surface
0.88
inundation) $
Sub total 1.07
Total 104.19 16.53
Grand total
(arable land and open forest)
120.72
Table 10.2 Harmonized area statistics of degraded and wastelands of India. Source: ICAR and NAAS, 2010.
Notes: FSI (1999) was used to exclude degraded land under dense forest; Unculturable Wastelands: Barren rocky/stony waste: 6 M ha, are the source for
runoff water and building material; Snow covered/Ice-caps: 6 M ha, are best source of water and are not treated as wastelands
#For acid soils, areas under paddy growing and plantation crops were also included in the total acid soils
$
Sub-surface waterlogging not considered.
Status of the World’s Soil Resources | Main Report Regional Assessment of Soil Changes
306
in Asia