Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
(structure, aeration, retention and movement of water and nutrients) and
chemical (pH, accumulation of salts and nutrient transformation and availability)
properties.
Only an overall improvement in all these properties can sustain soil health and
thereby sustain productivity. The solid, liquid, gaseous, and biotic spheres of the
soil are in a dynamic equilibrium, with change in one phase affecting the other.
Hence the soil management strategies should shift towards a holistic approach.
2. TRENDS IN SOIL FERTILITY CHANGE
The first systematic soil fertility map of Indian soils, published in 1969 by
Ramamurthy and Bajaj, showed that around 4% samples were high in available
Phosphorus, which has increased to 20% in 2002 (Motsara, 2002). The increase
in P status in some soils is due to non-judicious use of phosphatic fertilizers by
farmers, which not only cost more but also lead to nutrient imbalances in the soil
(IISS, 2011).
The deficiency of nitrogen in soil may continue to remain the same in Indian
soils, as they are presently low to medium in organic matter content. Continuous
reliance on the application of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers alone for augmenting
crops cannot improve the soil’s nitrogen reserves, as 70% of the applied fertilizer
nitrogen is quickly lost within the crop period through water and gaseous routes.
Only by increasing the organic matter content in soils through effective recycling
of crop residues and animal excreta in combination with mulching techniques, can
the status of organic matter and nitrogen in the soil be improved. More than 90%
of the soil’s nitrogen is stored in the form of organic compounds.
The three estimates (Ramamurthy and Bajaj, 1969; Ghosh and Hasan, 1980;
Motsara, 2002) of soil fertility for K indicate an increase in the percentage of
samples testing high over the years.
In the case of micronutrients, analysis of more than 0.25 million soil samples
revealed widespread deficiency of Zn (49%), S (41%), Fe(12%), Cu (3%), Mn (4%),
and B (32% in some selected areas such as Bihar).
Annexures
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