How Can Derelict Land Be Restored?

            Most derelict land can be restored or reclaimed and again become useful to man kind through the combined efforts of the individual and the government. Land that is spoilt by careless farming can be restored by irrigation or fertilization. In the case of the large scale rehabilitation of the devastated farmlands of the Tennessee Valley in USA, the government established the TVA or Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933. it constructed 9 dams on the main Tennessee River, which is 1450 km long, and another 23 dams on its tributaries, for irrigation, flood control and the generation of hydro-electricity.

            These measures have stimulated the development of industries and provided jobs for the people. To check soil erosion and heal gullied hill slopes some 2 million trees were also planted each year so that their roots will help bind the soil partials and absorb excess water which previously ran off rapidly and caused floods.

            Where the land is made derelict by mining activities much has to be done to restore its usefulness again. Many governments pass legislation to make it compulsory for mining companies to rehabilitate the land after mining. Waste heaps have to be levelled out and mining pools filled up to restore the natural landscape of the region. Trees and other soil-binding vegetation are planted to act as a protective cover against soil erosion.