Media Dossier
30% of Odisha's Soil Degraded: Youth, Women Entrepreneurs, Farmers Unite for Solutions
5th June 2024 , Odisha
Event Details
On World Environment Day, youth, women entrepreneurs, and farmers across Odisha came together to participate in workshops, training, and activities focused on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. This collaborative effort aligns with this year’s World Environment Day theme and aims to address the severe environmental challenges plaguing the state.
SwitchON Foundation has released a pivotal report detailing the severe environmental challenges facing Odisha. According to the report, 30% of Odisha’s soil is degraded due to erosion, salinization, and nutrient depletion, with 5.4 million hectares of land affected by desertification. The report also highlights that Odisha faces multifaceted land use and management challenges, including significant deforestation with a 9.0% reduction in forest cover and a 37.6% increase in built-up areas, indicating rapid urban expansion and habitat fragmentation. Groundwater depletion remains a concern, particularly in semi-critical areas like Khordha and Bhubaneswar, driven by agricultural demands. The fourfold increase in drought occurrences over the past decade has worsened agricultural distress, rural unemployment, and ecological issues such as temperature rise and wetland degradation.
The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified several blocks as semi-critical due to high extraction rates, including Khordha, Bhubaneswar, Bolagarh, Talcher, Baliapal, Korei, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh, and Nuapada. This trend indicates growing pressure on groundwater resources, primarily driven by agricultural demands. In 2021, the state experienced one of the worst cases of drought in 20 years. The state received only 661 millimetres of water as compared to the average of 935.8 millimetres. The study revealed that Bhubaneshwar, the state's capital, experiences mean maximum temperatures of around 42°C, similar to the interior region of Sambalpur.
SwitchON Foundation has undertaken a series of impactful initiatives aimed at restoring ecosystems, promoting sustainable agriculture, and fostering climate resilience. Hundreds of environment enthusiasts including children, youth and women came forward for a mega dry waste collection drive across cities in Odisha like Bhubaneswar, Angul and Talchar. Organized by SwitchON Foundation, the event culminated in the collection of around 250 Kgs of dry waste.
In Bhubaneswar, people participated in the waste collection drive in collaboration with partners like Society for Nature Education and Health Organization, Ruchika Social Service Organisation, Mystery of Mothers for collective climate action. The waste collection drive aimed to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of improper waste disposal and the collective responsibility to maintain clean and sustainable surroundings. Dry wastes like pens, paper, stationery, plastic bottles, wrappers, poly packs, broken toys, food packets, old clothes, and electronic devices were collected and submitted to designated recyclers or any local ragpickers for proper disposal and recycling.
SwitchON also facilitated various competitions such as best-from-waste, poster-making, and drawing contests, along with plantation drives to foster a deeper connection to environmental issues and inspire positive action. SwitchON also hosted a workshop on regenerative agriculture aimed at empowering communities to adopt sustainable practices engaging farmers and women Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
Edition : The Times of India
Edition : Odisha Ray
Edition: Fingerprint News
The Times of India
Odisha Ray
https://odisharay.com/pages/single_page.php?id=44108
Fingerprint News
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