Stunning view of life Geyser in iceland

MOTHER EARTH ENGULFED BY THE PERILS OF DESERTIFICATION

Author: Moumita Chakraborty

The term ‘desertification’ comprises of two words: ‘desert’: a topographical regime receiving less than 25cm of rainfall per year and ‘fication’ meaning to cause or make something happen. Thus desertification is a state whereby the land becomes barren and develops desert like conditions. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines desertification as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities.” Desertification can be natural or man-made. In the regions surrounding deserts, barkhans and Seif dunes encroach upon the neighbouring areas and hamper with the crop growth. Thus Aeolian processes have accelerated the mobility of sand from the deserts into the surrounding non-desert areas across the world. This is called natural desertification. On the other hand, anthropogenic activities also contribute to desertification.