Salinisation

noun (uncountable)

/ˌsælɪnaɪˈzeɪʃən/

The process by which the salt content of soil or water increases to levels that impair plant growth, soil structure, and ecosystem function, typically through irrigation-induced accumulation, seawater intrusion, or evaporation from shallow saline water tables. In India, approximately 6.73 million hectares of land are affected by salinity and alkalinity (as per the National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, ICAR), particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, coastal deltaic tracts of West Bengal and Odisha, and canal command areas of Rajasthan. The IPCC links accelerating salinisation in coastal areas with sea-level rise and increased storm-surge frequency.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Indira Gandhi Canal command area in Rajasthan has witnessed accelerating secondary salinisation, where inadequate drainage infrastructure has caused the water table to rise, allowing evaporation to deposit salts in the root zone and rendering thousands of hectares of previously reclaimed desert land infertile.

Synonyms

salt accumulationsalt build-upsodificationhalomorphismsaltwater intrusion (in coastal context)

Antonyms

desalinisationleachingfresheningsalt removalreclamation

🌱 Word Family

saline (adjective/noun), salinity (noun), salinise (verb), salinised (adjective), desalinisation (noun), hyper-saline (adjective)

🔡 Root

Latin sal = salt + -ine (adjectival suffix) + Greek -isation (process suffix); the verb base is 'salinise' from Latin salinus = of salt

📜 Etymology

Formed from 'saline' (from Latin salinus, of or containing salt, from sal, salt) plus the English process suffix '-isation' (from French -isation, ultimately from Greek -izein). Latin sal (salt) is cognate with English 'salt', Greek hals, and is found across Indo-European languages. The word 'salinisation' as a technical soil-science term was standardised in the 20th century following FAO and UNESCO studies on irrigated-land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions from the 1950s onward.

🧠 Memory Hook

SALIN(E) + ISATION = the process of making something salty. Think of the ocean claiming agricultural land — it 'salts the earth' the way ancient armies salted defeated cities to prevent crops from growing. Once soil is salinised, it becomes as barren as a salt flat.

⚠️ Disaster Management 📖 Seen in: Disaster Management — Framework, Prepa...

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