Land Pollution

 Land pollution refers to all forms of pollution affecting any type of soil:
agricultural, forestry, urban, etc. Soil pollution is a disruptive element for
many biological resources and ecosystems.
 A soil is polluted when it contains an abnormal concentration of chemical
compounds potentially dangerous to human health, plants or animals.
 Also known as LAND DEGRADATION.

Major Causes of Land Pollution

1. Agricultural Land Pollution

 It is the contamination we release into the environment as a by-product of
growing and raising livestock, food crops, animal feed, and biofuel crops.
 These agricultural inputs are all loaded with chemicals. The chemicals are
effective in killing the pests and increasing production. But they also strip the
soil of its minerals and other valuable compounds.

2. Non-biodegradable Solid Waste

 It is defined as a substance that cannot be decomposed or dissolved naturally
and acts as a source of pollution.
 They may remain on this planet for many years without any degradation, thereby
posing a critical threat to the environment. As an example to these are the
plastics, metal, aluminums cans, tires, toxic chemicals, polystyrene.

3. Industrial Waste
 These are normally generated from agricultural produce processors, oil
refineries, pharmaceuticals, construction sites, and energy producing power
plants.
 For example, power plants release chemical wastes and dispose them in
landfills. These include coal, petroleum, and nuclear wastes. Construction sites,
on the other hand, produce wood, metal, and plastic wastes, which make their
way into landfills.
4. URBANIZATION
 It is another source of land degradation. The artificialisation of soils can cause a
rapid and consequent carbon depletion, which contributes to climate change.
Besides, it fragments natural habitats, ecosystems and landscape, affecting
biodiversity

5. Deforestation
 It is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to
non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms,
ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical
rainforests.

6. Mining
 The extraction of materials and ores from under the Earth’s surface also
contributes to land pollution
 Mining degrades the quality of land. These include the extraction of metals, oil,
coal, stones, stand, and mineral ores such as gold. When mining or quarrying,
you normally have to clear the land surface and drill huge manholes and pits.

EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION

 ON THE ENVIRONMENT
o Contamination of groundwater, loss of topsoil, water nutrient enrichment
and increased risk of wildfires (because of the dry conditions created by
the pollutants in the soil) are among the consequences of land pollution.

 ON WILDLIFE
o As land pollution and soil erosion progress, animals are forced to shift
habitats and adapt to new conditions. As a result, some species are at risk
of extinction.

 ON HUMAN HEALTH
o The potential effects of soil contamination on human health include
breathing disorders, birth defects, skin diseases, and cancer.
 o Globally, 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. The
toxic chemicals can reach our body through foods and vegetables that we
eat as they are grown in polluted soil.
o Land pollution also caused developmental deficiency in children.
Chemicals, such as lead that are commonly found in contaminated soil
and water, can impact a child’s cognitive development even when the
exposure is very low.
 OTHER ISSUES
 Other issues that we face include increased temperature, unseasonal
weather activity, acid rains, etc. The discharge of chemicals on land makes it
dangerous for the ecosystem too.
 These chemicals are consumed by the animals and plants and thereby
making their way in the ecosystem. This process is called bio
magnification and is a serious threat to the ecology.

HOW TO PREVENT LAND POLLUTION?

1. Clean-up
 Environmental remediation consists of removing pollution from the soil,
groundwater or surface water.
 Bioremediation (microbes) and phytoremediation (plants) can be used to convert
the pollutants into harmless products.
 These are natural solutions that need to be supported by in-depth actions

2. Green Agriculture
 Sustainable agriculture is essential as it is meant to control the impact on the
cultivated environment, by minimizing the external contributions (phytosanitary
products), by diversifying the cultures and by using biological treatments.

3. Sustainable forest management

 Conservation of the forests is key. Without the protection of the trees, the land
becomes dry and starts to erode.
 Therefore, sustainable forestry or logging is crucial to saving the soil from
pollution.

4. Proper waste disposal

 Be it for industrial or household waste, efficient waste disposal is one of the most
effective ways of curbing land pollution. This especially applies to toxic and
hazardous waste disposal.
5. The "3 R's" Rule & Education
 Reducing the use of non-biodegradable products will lower plastic pollution and
eventually have an impact on land pollution.
 This is why it is very important to reuse and recycle every possible item.
Education should also play a major role in efforts to protect the environment from
land pollution.

BOTTOMLINE
 Land pollution is a serious global issue today. It has adverse effects on
human and other life forms around the world. It is caused largely by
human activities such as agriculture, mining, industrialization,
deforestation, and improper disposal of non-biodegradable domestic
waste.