YPES OF SOIL POLLUTIO

Solid Waste
These include all the various kinds of rubbish we
make at home, school, hospitals, market and work
places. Things like paper, plastic containers, bottles,
cans, food and even used cars and broken electronic
goods, broken furniture and hospital waste are all
examples of solid waste. Some of these are
biodegradable (meaning they easily rot or decay
into organic matter). Examples include food
droppings, paper products as well as vegetation
(like grass and twigs). Others are not
biodegradable, and they include plastics, metals
and aluminum cans, broken computer and car parts.
Because these do not easily decay, they pile up in
landfills (a place where all the citys rubbish are

 Pesticides and Fertilizers

Many farming activities engage in the application of
fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides for higher crop
yield. This is good because we get more food, but can
you think of what happens to the chemicals that end
up on the crops and soils? Sometimes, insects and
small animals are killed and bigger animals that eat
tiny animals (as in food chains) are also harmed.
Finally, the chemicals may be washed down as it
rains and over time, they end up in the water table
below

Chemicals
Chemical and nuclear power plants produce waste
materials that have to be stored somewhere.
Fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals
manufacturers also produce lots of solid and liquid
waste. In many cases they are stored in an
environmentally safe way, but there are some that
find their way into landfills and other less safe

Deforestation
Humans depend on trees for many things including life.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide (a green house gas) from
the air and enrich the air with Oxygen, which is needed
for life. Trees provide wood for humans and a habitat to
many land animals, insects and birds. Trees also, help
replenish soils and help retain nutrients being washed
away. Unfortunately, we have cut down millions of acres
of tree for wood, construction, farming and mining
purposes, and never planted new trees back. This is a
type of land pollution.

CAUSES of SOIL Pollution

Deforestation and soil erosion: Deforestation carried
out to create dry lands is one of the major concerns. Land that is once
converted into a dry or barren land, can never be made fertile again,
whatever the magnitude of measures to redeem it are. Unused
available land over the years turns barren; this land then cannot be
used. So in search of more land, potent land is hunted.

Agricultural activities: With

growing human population,

demand for food has increased considerably. Farmers often use
highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get rid off insects, fungi
and bacteria from their crops. However with the overuse of these
chemicals, they result in contamination and poisoning of soil.

Mining activities: During

extraction and mining activities,

several land spaces are created beneath the surface. We constant
hear about land caving in; this is nothing but natures way of filling
the spaces left out after mining or extraction activity.

 Overcrowded landfills: Each household

produces tonnes of garbage each year.
Garbage like aluminum, plastic, paper, cloth,
wood is collected and sent to the local
recyclingunit. Items that can not be recycled
become a part of the landfills that hampers the
land cause land pollution.

Industrialization: Due to increase in demand

for food, shelter and house, more goods are
produced. This resulted in creation of more
waste that needs to be disposed of. To meet
the demand of the growing population, more
industries were developed which led to
deforestation. Modern fertilizers and chemicals
that were highly toxic and led to soil
contamination.

Construction activities: Due to urbanization,

large amount of construction activities are

 Nuclear waste:Nuclear plantscan produce huge

amount of energy through nuclear fission and
fusion. The left over radioactive material contains
harmful and toxic chemicals that can affect human
health. They are dumped beneath the earth to avoid
any casualty.

Sewage treatment:Large amount of solid waste is

leftover once the sewage has been treated. The leftover
material is sent to landfill site which end up in polluting
the environment.

Effects of Land Pollution

1. Soil pollution:

It is another form of land pollution, where

the upper layer of the soil is damaged. This is caused by the overuse of
chemical fertilizers, soil erosion caused by running water and other pest
control measures; this leads to loss of fertile land for agriculture, forest
cover, fodder patches for grazing etc.

2. Change in climate patterns:The effects of land pollution

are very hazardous and can lead to the loss of ecosystems. When land is
polluted, it directly or indirectly affects theclimate patterns.

3. Environmental Impact:When deforestation is committed,

the tree cover is compromised on. This leads to a steep imbalance in the
rain cycle which affects a lot of factors. To begin with, the green cover is
reduced. Trees and plants help balance the atmosphere, without them we
are subjected to various concerns likeGlobal warming, the
green house effect, irregular rainfall and flash floods among other
imbalances.

 4. Effect on human health:The land when

contaminated with toxic chemicals and pesticides lead to problem

of skin cancer and human respiratory system. The toxic chemicals
can reach our body through foods and vegetables that we eat as
they are grown in polluted soil.

5. Cause Air pollution:Landfills across the city keep on

growing due to increase in waste and are later burned which leads
to air pollution. They become home for rodents, mice etc which in
turn transmit diseases.

6. Distraction for Tourist:The city looses its attraction

as tourist destination as landfills do not look good when you move
around the city. It leads to loss of revenue for the state
government.

7. Effect on wildlife:The animal face a serious threat

with regards to loss of habitat and natural environment. The

constant human activity on land, is leaving it polluted; forcing
these species to move further away and adapt to new regions or
die trying to adjust. Several species are pushed to the verge of
extinction, due to no homeland.

 Other issues that we face include

increased temperature, unseasonal
weather activity,acid rainsetc. The
discharge of chemicals on land, makes it
dangerous for the ecosystem too. These
chemicals are consumed by the animals
and plants and thereby make their way in
the ecosystem. This process is called bio
magnification and is a serious threat to
the ecology.

What is soil
contamination?
Soil contamination, degradation and
pollution mean different things even though
we often use these terms to mean one thing.
Here is the difference:
Soil pollutionis when humans introduce
harmful objects, chemicals or substances,
directly or indirectly into the soil in a way
that causes harm to other living things or
destroys soil or water ecosystems.
Soil contaminationis when the
concentration of chemicals, nutrients or
elements in the soil becomes more than it
normally or naturally is, as a result of human
action. If this contamination goes on to harm

The effects of soils

contamination
Soil contamination can result in soil and land
pollution, and affect the health of plants that depend
on them. It can also harm living organisms in the soils
and humans that come into contact with them by
touching, breathing or eating crops from
contaminated soils. Contaminants in soils can also get
infiltrated into ground water and pollute them.
Depending on the extent and volume of soil
contamination, it can be remedied by
1. Digging out the soils for treatment and disposal
2. Containing it to prevent it from spreading, by

What causes contamination?

Pesticides and herbicides (and other farming
chemicals) often end up contamination soils. Direct
discharge of wastewater by industries can also cause
that. Leakages in sewage systems, underground
storage tanks and leaching of soluble substances
from landfills can also result in contamination.
Rainwater or floods from other polluted lands and
water bodies spread contaminants to soils in other
locations.

CONTROL AND SOLUTION

Encourage organic farming.

Proper garbage disposal.
Recycle garbage.
Reduce use of herbicides and pesticides.
Avoid over packaged items.
Efficient utilization of resources and
reducing wastage.

 Reuse any items that you can. Items like clothing, bottles, wrapping paper
and shopping bags can be used over and over again, rather than buying
new things.
The greatest prevention to land pollution is in the three R's
Reduce Waste,Re-usethings and
Recyclethings. This is true even for governments. They can also use the
three R rule to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
After the three 'R's, remember to turn the rest of the garbge into compost.
Personal litter should be disposed properly. We can separate household
waste at home for recycling.
Buy biodegradable products.
Store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers.
Eat organic foods that are grown without pesticides. Look out for fertilizer
or pesticide free products when you go to the market.
Dont use pesticides if you can.

Solutions
Why does land pollution matter? Although Earth might
seem a pretty big place, only about a third of its surface
is covered in land, and there are now over seven billion
people trying to survive here. Most of our energy
around 85 percent in the United States still comes from
fossil fuels buried under the ground and, since we
haven't yet figured out how to mine in space, so do all
our minerals. Much of our food is grown on the surface
of the planet; thewaterwe need comes from the
planet's surface too or from rocks buried just
underground. In short, our lives are as intimately tied to
the surface of Earth as the plants that grow from the
ground. Anything that degrades, damages, or destroys
the land ultimately has an impact on human life and may
threaten our very ability to survive. That's why we need
solutions to the problem.

CASE STUDY
Six years after Coca-Colas bottling plant shut down in Indias
southern state of Kerala, the company continues to face allegations
claiming it caused the depletion of groundwater and polluted the
water resources.
Before, the food we cooked used to stay for 7 days. But after this
plant came, the water became so bad that the food would spoil in a
few hours, says Tangammai, a farm labourer in Keralas village of
Plachimada where the plant operated.
Crops were also affected, says local farmer Murugan. He grows
coconuts just outside the plants perimeter and says the trees
recovered only after the plant closed.
The sludge that came out of the plant used to contaminate the
rainwater and flood this area, recalls Murugan. As a result, the
crop yield was reduced and the coconuts used to fall off without
ripening. This continued for two years after the plant closed. Things
got better after that, and now, you can see, the trees are healthier.
A recent report by the government-appointed committee in Kerala
confirmed that Coca-Cola had caused severe damage to the ecology
of Plachimada by over-exploiting the water resources and causing
severe water shortage in the area.
Yet Coca-Cola maintains that these charges are false and that, in

We found that the source areas are away from the plant site,
says Professor A.K. Ghosain, an expert at the Institute.So the
only possibility is that these sources can be in the form of some
dump. There is no possibility of something coming from the
plant site and moving in that direction.
We will continue our agitation till our demands are met,
beginning with the formal closing of the plant, plus
compensating the victims and prosecuting the Coca-Cola
company, says Vilayodi Venugopal from the Anti-Coca-Cola
Agitation Committee. We also demand that laws are brought in
to ensure that the local government has ultimate control over
local resources.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala, India,February 28(ENS) - In an
unprecedented move, the state legislature of Kerala passed a
lawon Thursdayallowing individuals affected by Coca-Cola's
bottling operations in the village of Plachimada to seek financial
compensation from the company for ecological damage, water
pollution and water scarcity.
The tribunal has been granted legal authority to summon
individuals and documents, as well as seek and examine
witnesses, and the bill legally binds Coca-Cola to follow the
directives of the tribunal.
Under the bill, the tribunal shall apply the principles of
sustainable development, the precautionary principle and the
"polluter pays" principle. Once compensation is awarded, the