Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Water erosion is the detachment and transport of soil particles by raindrop impact and surface runoff. It progresses through a series of stages as runoff volume and velocity increase.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The sequential stages of water erosion are:
Splash erosion (C): Impact of falling raindrops detaches and breaks up soil aggregates.
Sheet erosion (B): Runoff removes a thin, uniform layer of surface soil. This stage is often unnoticed but highly destructive.
Rill erosion (D): Concentrated water forms small, well-defined channels. These channels are shallow enough to be smoothed over by normal tillage.
Gully erosion (E): Rills enlarge into deep channels that cannot be crossed by standard farm machinery.
5. Ravine erosion (A): Gully networks expand into large, deep, steep-sided channels, representing an advanced stage of land degradation.
This sequence is represented by the order (C) $\rightarrow$ (B) $\rightarrow$ (D) $\rightarrow$ (E) $\rightarrow$ (A).
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct developmental sequence of water erosion is (C), (B), (D), (E), (A).