Adverse effect of waterlogging and soil salinity on crop and land productivity in northwest region of Haryana, India

In the irrigated areas of semi-arid regions, especially in northwest India, a considerable recharge to the groundwater leads to waterlogging and secondary salinization. In several sub-areas groundwater is mined, water tables fall, and salts are added to the root zone because a high proportion of irrigation water is derived from pumped groundwater of poor quality. Out of 1 million hectares of irrigation induced waterlogged saline area in northwest India, approximately half a million hectares are in the state of Haryana. Taking a homogenous physical environment as a starting point, the way and the extent to which farmers' activities will affect the salinity and sodicity situation depend on farming and irrigation practices. In the past, soil salinity was mainly associated with high groundwater tables, which bring salts into the root zone through capillary rise when water is pumped. But nowadays, increasing exploitation of groundwater for irrigation purposes has led to declining groundwater tables and a threat of sodification and salinization due to use of poor quality groundwater. Farmers in northwest India are facing a situation in which they have to deal with salt volumes that are harmful for water uptake of crops. They are also facing the problem of sodicity, which has an adverse effect on the physical structure of the soil, causing problems of water intake, transfer and aeration. To mitigate the adverse effect of soil salinity on crop yield, the farmers irrigate frequently, either mixing canal water and groundwater,.or alternately using canal water and groundwater. Due to differences in environmental parameters in the farming systems, such as groundwater quality, soil types and uneven distribution of irrigation water, income losses to the farming community are not uniform. This paper highlights the economic loss due to environmental degradation through the twin problems of waterlogging and soil salinity, which threaten the sustainability of agricultural production in Haryana state. Our analysis shows that the net present value of the damage due to waterlogging and salinity in Haryana is about Rs. 23,900/ha (in 1998-1999 constant prices). The estimated potential annual loss is about Rs. 1669 million (about US$ 37 million) from the waterlogged saline area. The major finding of the paper is that intensification per se is not the root cause of land degradation, but rather the policy environment that encouraged inappropriate land use and injudicious input use, especially excessive irrigation. Trade policies, output price policies and input subsidies all have contributed to the degradation of agricultural land. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.