Soil erosion refers to washing away or removal of the layer of soil by various agents like running water and wind. Sheet erosion and gully erosion are the two most common ways by which soil gets eroded. When there is heavy rainfall, the top layer of soil over large areas gets washed away. This is known as sheet erosion. When rainwater in region flows down the slopes making deep and narrow furrows, it is called gully erosion. Soil erosion also refers to the loss of fertility of soil, which makes the soil infertile and exhausted. Cutting down the trees and forests, overgrazing by animals, floods, and improper farming practices are some of the main causes of soil erosion. Soil conservation is the protecting of soil against erosion and exhaustion by planting trees, shrubs and grass on hill slopes. Soil can be conserved by controlling grazing of cattle and use of proper farming methods such as the levelling of fields, terracing of hill slopes, construction of mud walls or bunds and ploughing fields in circles.
