Two crucial studies on the increasing soil salinity inGujarathave raised concerns. Of the 6.73 million hectares of land affected by salinity in India, Gujarat constitutes 2.23 million hectares, followed by UP 1.37 million hectares, whileMaharashtrahas 0.61 million hectares affected by soil salinity. In fact Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra, W Bengal andRajasthanconstitute 75% of saline soils of the country. This has been claimed by the department of botany of Banaras Hindu University in September this year.

salinity also leads to large agricultural production loses. Another study by department of soil science of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar (CSK),Himachal Pradesh, Krishi Vishvavidyalaya (HPKV), Palampur, India and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu has claimed that Gujarat state suffers 4.83 million tonnes of production loss because of soil salinity. In terms of monetary loss, Gujarat tops the list with Rs 100.63 billion, followed by Uttar Pradesh with Rs 81.29 billion.

The study further adds, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have the largest salt-affected area which is more than 50% of cultivated area in the country. The two states alone share around 79% monetary losses in the country. All these states deserve policy attention for management of salt-affected areas to reduce the crop production and monetary loss, the study states.
One of the major reasons for rising soil salinity is the use of brackish groundwater Irrigation waters that is causing secondary Salinization in about 17% of irrigated lands in the country. Good quality irrigation water is scarce in the country. Increasing pressure of producing more food per unit available arable land forces for extensive use of brackish groundwater for irrigation claims the study.