Paper: GS – III, Subject: Environment and Ecology, Topic: Disasters and Sustainable Agriculture, Issue: Floods Impact on soil Health.
Context:
The recent floods across all 23 districts of Punjab severely affected around two lakh hectares of farmland, raising concerns about soil fertility and the upcoming wheat-sowing season.
Key Takeaways:
Scientific Assessment and Soil Sampling:
Post-flood soil sampling conducted by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, across several affected districts, provides grounds for cautious optimism:
- Nutrient Leaching: Waterlogging led to temporary leaching of nutrients like nitrogen and minor imbalance in soil pH.
- Erosion in Some Areas: Fields that suffered topsoil loss showed reduced nutrient content, but experts note this can be restored through targeted fertilization and organic amendments.
- Manageable Impact: Overall, the damage is not irreversible.
- With deep ploughing, soil testing, and balanced fertiliser application, fertility levels can be brought back to normal within one cropping cycle.
Managing Silt and Preparing Fields:
The recovery strategy depends on the depth of silt and soil type:
- Light Silt (2–3 inches): Normal ploughing is sufficient to mix silt with native soil.
- Moderate Silt (up to 9 inches in light soils): Deep chiselling helps mix layers effectively.
- To improve soil texture and organic content, the use of compost, green manure, or organic matter is recommended.
- Farmers are also advised to control flood-borne weeds promptly to prevent competition with crops.
- The Punjab government’s “Jisda Khet, Usdi Ret” policy allowing farmers to freely remove or sell silt deposited on their land without seeking environmental clearance is a timely move that enables quicker field restoration.
Returning to Normal Cropping Cycles:
Punjab’s floods caused temporary nutrient loss but no lasting soil harm. With timely management and soil care, fertility can recover, even improving through nutrient-rich silt.
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