Thousands of hectares of land in the southern belt of Mahottari district suffered productivity degradation as no clear policy was brought for the conservation of Chure area in the northern belt of the district. The deforestation, excavation of stones, and transportation of sands and other mineral resources was high in the Chure area causing environmental degradation with equal deterioration in productivity, said local experts. Arable land has faced desertification after the Rato Khola brought gravels and sands and buried the local farms due to excavation in the Chure area. An average of five hectares of farmland is being desertified every year as the conservation efforts have not been effective, according to District Agriculture Development Office, Mahottari. As a result, around 30 per cent of the arable land has a risk of being desertified. Mahottari is generally considered to be a fertile land for cultivating various cereals and crops.Similarly, the productivity ratio was decreased in the district as the settlements had increased while settling the landless squatters, freed Kamaiyas, and other people in the arable lands. Local residents expressed their concern to this effect and drew the attention of the authorities concerned.