Degradation of Cultivable Land

One of the most serious consequences of a faulty irrigation and agricultural development strategy is the degradation of cultivable land. This is not a minor issue — it directly threatens the very foundation of farming by depleting soil fertility. The problem is especially alarming in irrigated areas, where the damage has already been extensive.

A large tract of agricultural land has lost its fertility due to three interconnected processes: alkalisation, salinisation, and waterlogging. When irrigation water is used without proper drainage, salts accumulate in the soil over time. In drier regions, this salt build-up becomes so severe that the soil turns alkaline or saline, making it unfit for most crops. Waterlogging, where the water table rises and saturates the root zone, compounds the problem by preventing air from reaching plant roots.

Another major cause of degradation is the excessive use of chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides. Over time, these substances concentrate in toxic amounts within the soil profile. Instead of helping crops, they poison the soil itself, killing beneficial microorganisms and reducing natural fertility.

The shift in cropping patterns has also done lasting harm. In irrigated areas, leguminous crops — which naturally fix nitrogen in the soil — have been displaced from the rotation. At the same time, the duration of fallow (the period when land is left uncultivated to recover) has been substantially reduced because farmers now practice multiple cropping year-round. Together, these changes have obliterated the process of natural fertilisation, such as nitrogen fixation. The soil no longer gets the chance to replenish its nutrients naturally.