Flattened frontiers

Efforts to reclaim degraded land from Chambal ravines expose both people and biodiversity to ecological risks from erosion and flooding

- BHAGIRATH MORENA

RAVINES OF Chambal evoke images of deep gullies along the Chambal river, long infamous as hideouts of dacoits. Today, however, these gorges face a different threat—encroachment by those seeking to “reclaim” the land.

Formed by erosion due to river flow or rainfall, ravines are steep, degraded landforms. The Chambal ravines, spanning Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, are often regarded as badlands or wastelands: severely degraded, unproductive and largely left unused.

Efforts have been on to utilise these lands through levelling, or flattening the terrains to make the slope gentler and more productive.

For instance, in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, farmers have been levelling ravines in hopes of gaining cultivable land. Consider Rajghat, a popular spot for a Chambal river safari, located in Morena tehsil. “At least 10 km of ravines in Rajghat have been levelled,” says Bhagwan Singh Solanki, who has been working as a boatman for the safari for the past 32 years. Much of it is done by farmers of Bhanpur village, adjacent to Rajghat. According to resident Siyaram Meena, the village has 100 families; many of them have land holdings of only 2-5 bighas (0.4-1 hectare or ha; 5 bighas equal 1 ha). Lack of space, along with population growth and poor employment, force farmers to convert ravines.

The river safari also passes through Morena's Masoodpur village. Some 15 years ago, the village's farms were at least 5 km away from the Chambal, recalls Bhura Singh Gurjar, a resident. “Now, fields have reached the riverbank,” he says.

Farmers speaking with Down To Earth (DTE) say for several years, levelling was done manually and on a smaller scale. However, the practice has accelerated since 2000 with the availability of machines. In many cases, it is the only affordable option. Farmers' estimates suggest preparing a field in a ravine costs ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh, while buying 1 bigha can cost ₹14-15 lakh.