Page 90 - Science Class 07

away. While irriga ng field, farmers soil removed from one step is deposited on
generally do not adopt any method to the next step. Thus, the soil is never
check soil erosion. Farmer’s inability to completely lost. This is terrace farming.
rotate crops on their land also causes soil v Dams are built to prevent floods which not
erosion. only damage the crops but also wash away

v Water : When it rains in the hilly areas, the the topsoil.
soil gets washed away towards the plains.
The running water deposits the mineral-
rich soil in the riverbed and over the years

this deposi on of soil can change the
course of the river. This can lead to floods
which cause the destruc on of life and
property. Water erosion leads to loss of
agriculture poten al.
Checking Soil Erosion

We can prevent soil erosion by taking the Dam
following steps:
v Shelterbelts are the cover of plants and
v Plants should be grown in barren lands trees around the field which breaks the
more and more so as to check soil erosion. speed of strong winds and protects the soil
The place where trees are being cut, should from being blown away.
be replaced by new plants.
v Big strong structure called embankments
v In hilly regions step farming should be along the banks of the river can protect
encouraged. This method of farming fields from the floods. These embankments

reduces the speed of flowing water and prevent the fast overflowing rivers and
hence check soil erosion. rainwater from washing away a huge
v Crop rota on method is also very useful in amount of rich fer le soil.
checking soil erosion. This also helps in
restoring.

v Between harves ng one crop and plan ng
1. Why are the leaves of desert plants
the next crop, the fields lie bare; there is a
modified into spines?
me period when the farmland does not
have any crops. During this period, the 2. Why clayey soil is not good for
cul va on?
farmer either grows grass or grows other
crops to prevent soil from erosion. This 3. Soil acts as a reservoir of water,
helps the soil to regain the lost minerals. comment.

v Terrace Farming : In hilly areas, farming is 4. Name the factors responsible for soil
done by cu ng steps on the slopes of the erosion.
hills. This slows down the flow of water and 5. How do plants check soil erosion?

90 Science-7