Salinity ingress is taking its toll on the livelihood of people living in the coastal villages of Gulf of Khambhat in Anand district. Since the natural system of mitigating the salinity-mangroves and coastal vegetation-has degraded, the high salt-levels, both in the soil and carried through wind from the sea, are affecting agricultural development in the area.

To address this problem, Foundation of Ecological Security (FES), Anand, has taken up a project for ‘re-vegetation’ of wastelands in about 15 coastal villages. The foundation will be creating a vegetative shelter belt along the Gulf of Khambhat, from Dhuaran towards Ahmedabad to stop salinity ingress.

The coastal villages, which have been included in this project, are: Tadatalav, Juni Akhol, Navi Akhol, Vadgam, Vainej, Navagambara, Mitli, Lunej, Pandad, Rohini, Tarakpur, Sokhada, Paldi, Tamsa and Bhimtalav.

The project is supported by the Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, Ahmedabad, and the Water and Sanitation Management Organisation, Ahmedabad (Government of Gujarat). The overall cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 5 crore.

“High tides are observed in the sea two to three times a year. Sometimes, these tides inundate the agricultural lands,” said Subrat Singh, Project Head of FES, adding: “When the tidal waves recede, high amount of salt get deposited on the mudflats, which is carried inland by coastal winds up to 20 kilometres, especially during summers.”

Water analysis conducted by FES in these villages has shown that the water is saline and is categorised as ‘bittern’ water. The water also indicates very high alkaline presence. Due to this, land productivity in these areas is as low as 25 per cent in comparison with the canal-irrigated lands.

The foundation has already begun the process of restoration through re-vegetation, soil and moisture conservation measures and will also focus on strengthening community institutions for governance of natural resources.

“Creating the shelter belt will act as a wind break that would help in checking the saline ingress in the farming land adjacent to the coastline,” Singh said.

Earlier, FES had also worked on a pilot project in Navagambara in Khambhat.

“The standing vegetation of Prosopis on the saline mudflats now acts as a wind break to the salt-laden winds from the sea,” Singh added.

It has significantly reduced the deposition of salt, allowing farmers to take up cultivation on 22 hectares of land.

Salt spray effect has also been reduced considerably up to 4-5 kilometres from the shelter belt, sources in FES said.

What is salinity ingress?
Salinity ingress is caused mainly due to natural factors, misuse of land, man-made imbalance in ecological environment.