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.