Degradation by Improper Resource Utilisation and Maintenance

Natural resources can be degraded not only by pollution but also simply by using and managing them poorly.

Soil erosion and desertification

Fertile topsoil takes centuries to form naturally, yet it can be stripped away in a much shorter time through human activities such as over-cultivation, unchecked grazing, deforestation and poor irrigation practice, leaving behind arid, barren patches of land. When enough of these barren patches spread and merge, the result is a full-fledged desert. Desertification, driven in large part by growing urbanisation, is now recognised internationally as a major environmental problem.

Waterlogging and soil salinity …