India and Pakistan: A General and Regional Geography.

Gullies and badlands of India: Genesis, geomorphology and land management

“…However, we find several cases in India where gullies have formed naturally due to exceedance of the intrinsic geomorphic threshold (Figure 2). Formation of weak slip planes due to weathering (Das et al, 2020; Tripathi & Rajamani, 2003), natural susceptibility of soils owing to pedogenesis (Lalitha et al, 2021; Shit & Adhikary, 2020), mass wasting or colluviation (Gargani et al, 2016; Joshi & Kale, 1997; Sinha et al, 2019; Spate & Learmonth, 1967, p. 690) and landslides (Froehlich et al, 1991) have all caused natural gully formation across India (Figure 2). Neotectonics has also played a pivotal role in initiating badlands formation over extensive parts of Central and Western India (see Section 3).…”

“…Gully formation due to deforestation has been reported from the Himalayan foothills and the Eastern plateaux (Mandal & Giri, 2021; Roy Mukherjee, 1995; Singh, 1971; Spate & Learmonth, 1967). The piedmont plains of the Himalayas, formed through coalescence of alluvial fans, are naturally prone to gully erosion because of the poor aggregate stability or shear strength of its soils and due to this region's break of slope (Ahmad, 1973, p. 48; Spate & Learmonth, 1967, p. 535).…”

“…In fact, some Indian regional geography books (e.g. Spate and Learmonth, 1967;Singh, 1971) use the term 'ravine' to refer to gullies, badlands and river gorges interchangeably. As this ambiguous terminology can cause confusion, we use the word 'badlands' when referring to extensively gullied regions and recommend its usage in the Indian context.…”

“…Such landscapes characterised by an extremely high drainage density are commonly denoted as ‘badlands’ (Bryan & Yair, 1982; Harvey, 2004; Howard, 1994; Schumm, 1956), and ‘ravine’ is a term that is normally used to refer to river gorges (Tinkler, 2004). In fact, some Indian regional geography books (e.g., Singh, 1971; Spate & Learmonth, 1967) use the term ‘ravine’ to refer to gullies, badlands and river gorges interchangeably. As this ambiguous terminology can cause confusion, we use the word ‘badlands’ when referring to extensively gullied regions and recommend its usage in the Indian context.…”

On Examining Residential Segregation in Rural Gadag, Karnataka, India: The Case of the Banjara Tandas

“…The dwellings of the lower caste groups are usually at the periphery of the villages whereas the dominant castes occupy the central portions and this is a manifestation of a caste-based segregation of the households in a village environment. 15 Similar residential segregation in urban space can be imagined with a class criterion, but in reality the residential segregation at the ward and sub-ward levels has been attributed to caste than to class differences. 16,17 Residential segregation in itself is problematic apart from other forms of discrimination experienced otherwise in varying spheres of life.…”