Some causes of soil pollution: Runoff from pollutants (paint, chemicals, rotting organic material) leaching out of landfill

l Polluted water discharged from factories Oil and petroleum leaks from vehicles washed off the road by the rain into the surrounding habitat Chemical fertilizer runoff from farms and crops Acid rain (fumes from factories mixing with rain) Sewage discharged into rivers instead of being treated properly Over application of pesticides and fertilizers Purposeful injection into groundwater as a disposal method Interconnections between aquifers during drilling (poor technique) Septic tank seepage Lagoon seepage Sanitary/hazardous landfill seepage Cemeteries Scrap yards (waste oil and chemical drainage) Leaks from sanitary sewers Some effects of soil pollution: pollution runs off into rivers and kills the fish, plants and other aquatic life crops and fodder grown on polluted soil may pass the pollutants on to the consumers polluted soil may no longer grow crops and fodder Soil structure is damaged (clay ionic structure impaired) corrosion of foundations and pipelines impairs soil stability may release vapours and hydrocarbon into buildings and cellars may create toxic dusts may poison children playing in the area

II. Effects of Soil Pollution

Causes cancers including leukaemia Lead in soil is especially hazardous for young children causing developmental damage to the brain Mercury can increase the risk of kidney damage; cyclo dienes can lead to liver toxicity Causes neuro muscular blockage as well as depression of the central nervous system

 Also causes headaches, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash Contact with contaminated soil may be direct (from using parks, schools etc) or indirect (by inhaling soil contaminants which have vaporized) Soil pollution may also result from secondary contamination of water supplies and from deposition of air contaminants (for example, via acid rain) Contamination of crops grown in polluted soil brings up problems with food security Since it is closely linked to water pollution, many effects of soil contamination appear to be similar to the ones caused by water contamination.

How to control soil pollution?

There are many factors which control the soilpollution. It includes the limited use of fertilizers and pesticides. The biological control method must be known and

implemented. The grazing must be controlled and forest management should be done properly. The afforestation and reforestation must be done. In areas of wind erosion wind breaks and shields must be used. The soil binding grass must be planted and the large trees must be placed along thebanks. The industrial wastes must be dumped in the low lying areas. There is a definite technique of cropping which does not allow the weeds to settle on the fields. The mining ways must be improved along with their transportation. The area must not be left barren and dry.

Soil degradation
Soil degradation is widespread in India, affecting about 1,880 lakh hectares or 57 per cent of the total area of the country. Of this, 1,620 lakh hectares are affected by soil erosion and 250 lakh hectares are affected by in situ degradation (waterlogging, salinisation, and nutrient depletion). The area affected by soil degradation in 1947 was probably about 1,100 lakh hectares.We estimate that the cumulative effects of degradation over time will lead to an economic loss of Rs 8,900 crore to Rs 23,200 crore in 1997, reflecting a loss of 11-26 per cent of annual agricultural output. Erosion has rendered 1,180 lakh hectares or 36 per cent of the total area of the country uneconomical to cultivate because of a significant loss in productivity, while a further 150 lakh hectares has been rendered unmanageable and uneconomical to use. Erosion by water and wind is the most significant contributor to the economic loss due to soil degradation, and accounts for about 87 per cent of the total degraded area. This category alone accounts for around Rs 6,100 crore-Rs 21,600 crore of the total estimated losses. Water and wind erosion have been accelerated in recent times by vegetation removal, over exploitation, overgrazing, and such poor agricultural practices as cultivation on steep slopes and in other vulnerable areas. Whereas the area under soil erosion has increased by only 80 lakh hectares, the area under critical erosion has almost doubled in 18 years since 1977. In 1981, estimates showed that soil was being eroded at an average rate of 16.5 tonnes per hectare per year. Nearly 29 per cent of the total eroded soil is permanently lost to the sea and about 10 per cent is deposited in reservoirs. Sixty four per cent of the soil eroded is contributed by highly eroded to very severely eroded areas, namely the Shiwalik hills, ravines, the Western Ghats, black and red soils, and the north-eastern states. Wind erosion is a serious problem in the arid and semi-arid regions and in the coastal areas, where soils are sandy and in the cold desert regions of Leh. Deforestation causes degradation firstly when the land is steeply sloping or the soil is shallow or easily erodible, and secondly when the land thus cleared is not managed well. Deforestation has been cited as a cause for 98 per cent of the area affected by wind erosion. The loss of the natural vegetative cover resulting from felling, excessive grazing and extension of agriculture to marginal areas, and the depletion of organic matter because of an unsustainable cropping pattern are the major human-induced causes of accelerated wind erosion.

Soil degradation is a severe global problem of modern times. About 6 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide become unproductive every year due to the various soil degradation processes. The problem is much more serious in tropical than in temperate areas since tropical soils are more prone to degradation because of the nature of their properties and the prevalent climatic conditions. Countries in Asia and Africa that depend upon agriculture as the engine of economic growth are believed to suffer the greatest impact of soil degradation. In the Philippines, soil degradation is one of the most serious ecological problems today. Also, the National Action Plan (NAP) for 2004 to 2010 identified soil degradation as a major threat to food security in the country. NAP reported that about 5.2 million hectares are seriously degraded resulting to 30 to 50% reduction in soil productivity. Soil degradation is defined as the process which lowers the current or future capacity of the soil to produce goods or services. It implies longterm decline in soil productivity and its environment-moderating capacity. The concept of soil degradation was first used by Kostychiev and Korchinski in 1888 to describe a natural soil change. Since natural degradation is slow, the present concept of soil degradation according to the Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD) focuses on a humaninduced process. Soil degradation occurs because of drastic changes or disruption in the normal processes of soil formation due to human activities. In a review paper on the problem of soil degradation in the Philippines published in the Annals of Tropical Research vol. 31, we (Asio et al) revealed that soil erosion is the most widespread process of soil degradation and is also the most studied in the country. Other important but less studied soil degradation processes include loss of nutrients and organic matter, salinization, acidification, pollution, compaction, and subsidence. Studies reviewed have shown that the widespread degraded upland soils possess chemical and physical constraints for crop growth like acidic or calcareous pH, low organic matter and nutrient contents, shallow solum, presence of toxic substances and compaction. There is a need for more data on the physical and socio-economic characteristics of degraded lands to aid in the formulation of appropriate soil management strategies to support biodiesel production in these unproductive lands which is now being promoted by the Philippine government. Also, there is the danger that the use of the degraded lands

for intensive and long-term biodiesel production without the appropriate soil management would cause further soil deterioration and thus aggravate the ecological problems that are now occurring.

Causes and effects of soil pollutionSoil pollution (soil contamination) is caused by the presence of human-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. This type of contamination typically arises from the rupture of underground storage tanks, application of pesticides, percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata, oil and fuel dumping, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals. The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from health risks, from direct contact with the contaminated soil, vapors from the contaminants, and from secondary contamination of water supplies within and underlying the soil. Mapping of contaminated soil sites and the resulting cleanup are time consuming and expensive tasks.

It is in North America and Western Europe that the extent of contaminated land is most well known, with many of countries in these areas having a legal framework to identify and deal with this environmental problem; this however may well be just the tip of the iceberg with developing countries very likely to be the next generation of new soil contamination cases. The immense and sustained growth of the People's Republic of China since the 1970s has exacted a price from the land in increased soil pollution. The State Environmental Protection Administration believes it to be a threat to the environment, to food safety and to sustainable agriculture. According to a scientific sampling, 100,000 square kilometers of Chinas cultivated land have been polluted, with contaminated water being used to irrigate a further 21,670 square kilometers and another 1,300 square kilometers covered or destroyed by solid waste. In total, the area accounts for one-tenth of Chinas

cultivatable land, and is mostly in economically developed areas. An estimated 12 million tons of grain are contaminated by heavy metals every year, causing direct losses of US$2.57 billion. Health effects of soil pollution Contaminated soil or polluted soil directly affects human health through direct contact with soil or via inhalation of soil contaminants which have vaporized; potentially greater threats are posed by the infiltration of soil contamination into groundwater aquifers used for human consumption, sometimes in areas apparently far removed from any apparent source of above ground contamination. Health consequences from exposure to soil pollution vary greatly depending on pollutant type, pathway of attack and vulnerability of the exposed population. Chronic exposure to chromium, lead and other metals, petroleum, solvents, and many pesticide and herbicide formulations can be carcinogenic, can cause congenital disorders, or can cause

other chronic health conditions. Industrial or man-made concentrations of naturally-occurring substances, such as nitrate and ammonia associated with livestock manure from agricultural operations, have also been identified as health hazards in soil and groundwater. Chronic exposure to benzene at sufficient concentrations is known to be associated with higher incidence of leukemia. Mercury and cyclodienes are known to induce higher incidences of kidney damage, some irreversible. PCBs and cyclodienes are linked to liver toxicity. Organophosphates and carbamates can induce a chain of responses leading to neuromuscular blockage. Many chlorinated solvents induce liver changes, kidney changes and depression of the central nervous system. There is an entire spectrum of further health effects such as headache, nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash for the above cited and other chemicals. At sufficient dosages a large number of soil contaminants can cause

death by exposure via direct contact, inhalation or ingestion of contaminants in groundwater contaminated through soil. Ecosystem effects of soil pollution Not unexpectedly, soil contaminants can have significant deleterious consequences for ecosystems. There are radical soil chemistry changes which can arise from the presence of many hazardous chemicals even at low concentration of the contaminant species. These changes can manifest in the alteration of metabolism of endemic microorganisms and arthropods resident in a given soil environment. The result can be virtual eradication of some of the primary food chain, which in turn have major consequences for consumer species. Even if the chemical effect on lower life forms is small, the lower pyramid levels of the food chain may ingest alien chemicals. Many of these effects are now well known, such as the concentration of persistent DDT materials for avian consumers, leading to weakening of egg shells, increased

chick mortality and potential extinction of species.

control
Reducing Usage of Chemicals
Pesticides and fungicides are essential for plant growth but their overuse has led to soil pollution. Bio-fertilization and manures should be used instead of their chemical alternatives. Biofertilization is a process in which certain microorganisms are used to increase the fertility and growth capacity of soil. The process reduces the need for pesticides and fungicides. Manure, meanwhile, is always considered preferable to

pesticides. In its organic form, manure has few negative effects on the ecological system. Recycling is another way to reduce and control soil pollution. Recycling paper, plastics and other materials reduces the volume of refuse in landfills, another common cause of soil pollution.

De-forestation, the cutting down of trees, causes erosion, pollution and the loss of fertility in the topsoil. Planting trees--or re-forestation--helps prevent soil erosion and pollution.

Weeds soak up minerals in the soil. Reducing weed growth helps reduce soil pollution. One of the more common methods of reducing weed growth is covering the soil with numerous layers of wet newspapers or a plastic sheet for several weeks before cultivation. This prevents light from reaching the weeds, which kills them.

Designated pits should be used for the dumping of soil wastes. These wastes should be treated chemically and biologically to make them less toxic and hazardous. Biological treatment involves the use of anaerobic microorganisms, such as methanogens and acetogens, which help break down the soil wastes into a less toxic and biodegradable form.