Desert-like situation staring Orissa in 150 years - study

Bhubaneswar, Nov 1 (UNI) A desert-like situation is staring at Orissa and the state could soon turn into barren land in another 150 years, a study conducted by the Water Initiatives Orissa (WIO) claimed.

Many parts of Orissa, specifically the western and southern uplands, have developed symptoms of desertification and have degraded from drought-prone to desert-prone areas.

In its report, the WIO further stated that during 1991 and 2005, severely degraded land in the state had increased by 136 per cent, while barren land had increased by 69 per cent and land converted to non-agricultural uses had increased by 34 per cent.

By 2004-05, as high as 17.5 per cent land in Orissa had turned barren or unsuitable for agriculture.

The way the mineral and water guzzling heavy industries are being pushed, the rate in which forest cover is thinning in the state, the rapidity with which the climate is showing changes and the rate at which degradation is increasing, the state may turn into a desert even faster, it warned.

WIO had arrived at this conclusion using state data on land and backed by the people's perception study on local climate change conducted by a Sambalpur-based NGO called Manav Adhikar Seva Samiti (MASS).

UNI DP SJC PB KP0856