Soil, Water Salinization and Its Impact on Household Food Insecurity in the Indian Sundarbans

Abstract

AbstractThe present study is an attempt to comprehend the effects of soil and water salinity on household food security. Excess salinization of soil and water exacerbates significant long-term environmental risks in a coastal and deltaic environment especially in the densely populated tropical deltas. This study focuses on the coastal regions of the Indian Sundarbans directly confronting the Bay of Bengal based on data collected from the household Survey 2017–2020; soil and water survey during Pre and Post Monsoon period of 2019 to investigate into the effects of soil and water salinity on human life and ecological sustainability of the deltas. The result reveals significant effects of soil and water salinization on climate sensitive subsistence economy. Growth of crop and plant gets affected by increased soil salinity which further leads to soil sterility and poor seed germination. Water salinization leads to the toxicity of specific ions which directly affects those households dependent on fresh water ponds for irrigation and fishing activities. The findings clearly suggest policy intervention to deal with enhanced soil and water salinity in context of changing climate.KeywordsSoil and water salinizationHousehold food securityTropical deltaChanging climateEcological sustainability