2.1. Review of status of gullied lands in India
Severely eroded lands were left barren and under grassland and vegetation, as it were considered lowest capability land out of arable land category. It was considered as lost land although it was under private ownership. In 1970 decades some land improvement measures were launched in states (Yadav et. al, 1989). As population grew centrally sponsored schemes on ravine reclamation were launched in four states called as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat states, where gully and ravines were severe problems along three river systems and spreading in the four states to enhance arable land and agricultural production (Yadav, et al., 1991). In early years of 1980s Operational Watershed Management Projects (ORP) were launched throughout the country and ravine reclaimed lands in watershed projects showed highly effective. In these projects lands were improved and local sources in form of pond, amicuts and even shallow wells supported irrigated agriculture in the developed land (Anonymous, 2003, Yadav and Bhushan, 2002). As food prosperity grew other developments of water supply and sanitations were also launched, where the sewage were released in the lowest point in the vicinity and in most cases in rivers in the cities and in pastoral region in the gully courses. Where such system of continuing natural drainage did not exist, it formed wetlands, which locked large land areas and quality limited waste waters. This situation led to spoilage of quality of fresh waters in rivers, and wetland with different environmental problems. Researches done elsewhere were used to water filtration by the water works and supply departments, but sewage disposal remained with lesser attention. As such this type of situation remained till now and the practices of waste water disposals continued and solve problems of pollution of river waters different river action plans were launched, but huge problem could not come under control.