Shivalik hills of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are among the 107 million hectares in the country worst affected by soil erosion, resulting in continuous and gradual depletion of fertility and productivity in these regions. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar told the Lok Sabha today that other areas affected by soil erosion included hills of Orissa and Jharkhand, plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, coastal areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra, several parts of north-eastern states and western Rajasthan. Experts say the process of soil erosion is a natural process that occurs simultaneously in the eco-system. However, the fact is that soil erosion by rainwater takes away productive top soil, resulting in depletion of soil fertility and reducing productivity. The average rate of soil erosion in the country is 16.4 tonnes per hectares per year, which is more than permissible value of 10 tonnes per hectare per annum. Out of the total geographical area of about 328 million hectare, 220 million hectare is within permissible limit of soil erosion. However, about 107 million hectare is subject to higher rate of soil erosion. The minister said several measures were being undertaken by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in this regard. The ICAR has developed several location-specific bioengineering erosion control techniques along with rehabilitation measures through various agro-forestry/integrated farming system interventions. These are being implemented through different integrated watershed management programmes to check soil loss and depletion.