SOIL POLLUTION
Outline of Presentation
• Introduction.
• Sources.
• Effects.
• Diseases
• Controls/Preventions.
1. Introduction
• Any undesirable change in the Physical, Chemical , and Biological
characteristics of the air , water , and land or soil which is harmful
to the man directly or indirectly through animals , plants , industrial
units or Raw materials.
• The Waste products of human activities are not efficiently
assimilated decomposed or otherwise removed by natural ,
biological and physical processes( recycling) and the system is
unable to utilize properly so that the balance of the system gets
altered by the addition of such un degradable pollutants .
1. Pollution is mainly man made , but it can be natural as well
Pollution
Anthropogenic Natural
( Man Made Pollution) Volcanic Eruption,
Industrial pollution, Agricultural pollution UV Radiation, Soil erosion
Dust Storm, Decomposition
Of Organic Matter , Forrest Fires etc.
A Pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil , and is the
cause of pollution. It can be of two types
Pollutants
Non Degradable Bio – Degradable
e.g. Aluminum Pecks, compounds of iron, e.g. Peels , Wood Leaves
Mercury, Phenols and D.D.T.
SOIL is the thin layer of organic and inorganic materials that covers
the Earth's rocky surface. The organic portion, which is derived from the
decayed remains of plants and animals, is concentrated in the dark
uppermost topsoil. The inorganic portion made up of rock fragments,
was formed over thousands of years by physical and chemical
weathering of bedrock. . Several factors contribute to the formation of
soil from the parent material. This includes the mechanical weathering
of rocks due to temperature changes and abrasion, wind, moving water,
glaciers, chemical weathering activities, and lichens.
Soil pollution is defined as the build-up in soils of persistent
toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive materials, or
disease causing agents, which have adverse effects on plant
growth and animal health.
2. Sources and Effects
• Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).
• Industrial Waste.
• Agro Waste.
• Radioactive Waste.
• Biological Waste.
2.1 MSW
• Municipal solid waste is solid waste
generated by households, commercial
establishments and offices and does not include
the industrial or agricultural waste. E.g.
1) India’s urban population slated to increase from the
current 330 million to about 600 million by 2030, the
challenge of managing municipal solid waste (MSW) in
an environmentally and economically sustainable manner is
bound to assume gigantic proportions. The country has over
5,000 cities and towns, which generate about 40 million
tonnes of MSW per year today. Going by estimates of
The Energy Research Institute (TERI), this could well
touch 260 million tonnes per year by 2047.
Plastic Pollution
Plastic bags, plastic thin sheets and plastic waste is also a major source of pollution.
A division bench of Allahabad High Court, comprising Justice Ashok
Bhushan and Justice Arun Tandon, in May 03, 2010 had directed the Ganga
Basin Authority and the state government to take appropriate action to ban the
use of polythene in the vicinity of Ganga in the entire state. Also Plastic Bag
Pollution in the Country is the biggest hazards. On August 2, 2010, seeking to
know whether a fine should be imposed on paan masala or gutkha packet
manufacturers for polluting and choking the drainage systems, the Supreme Court
has directed the Union government to file its reply in six weeks.
2.2 Industrial Waste
• Industrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity,
such as that of Factories, mills and mines.
• It has existed since the outset of the Industrial Revolution.
• Much industrial waste is neither hazardous nor toxic, such as waste
fibre produced by agriculture and lodging.
• Toxic Waste, Chemical waste, Industrial solid waste and
Municipal Solid Waste are designations of industrial waste.
• Sewage Treatment can be used to clean water tainted with industrial
waste.
Pollution due to Mining
a) New Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment (CSE) on December 29, 2007
said mining was causing displacement, pollution, forest degradation and social unrest.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE) report the top 50
mineral producing districts, as many as 34 fall under the 150 most backward
districts identified in the country.
The CSE report has made extensive analysis of environment degradation and pollution due
to mining, wherein it has said, in 2005-06 alone 1.6 billion tonnes of waste and
overburden from coal, iron ore, limestone and bauxite have added to environment
pollution. With the annual growth of mining at 10.7 per cent and 500-odd mines awaiting
approval of the Centre, the pollution would increase manifold in the coming years.
The mines of Mahanadi Coal Fields and NTPC draw about 25 Cr litres of water per
day from the River Brahmani and in return they release thousands of gallons of
waste water, which contains obnoxious substances like Ash, Oil, Heavy Metals, Grease,
Fluorides, Phosphorus, Ammonia, Urea and Sulphuric Acid, into the River
Nandira (A tributary of River Brahmani). The effluents from chlorine plant cause
chloride and sodium toxicity to the river Rushikulya – the lifeline of southern Orissa. The
Phosphoric Fertilizer Industry discharges effluent containing Nitric, Sulphuric and
Phosphoric acids into river Mahanadi.
2.3 Agricultural Wastes
• Pollution of agricultural soils due to excessive
use of chemicals, salt and water are the prime
reasons behind soil pollution.
• Pesticides are applied on the crops in an
indiscriminate manner for increasing food
production and increase in yield which have
done great damage to soil. Most important
amongst pesticides are chlorinated
hydrocarbons such as DDT and BHC.
2.3 a Erosion
• Soil erosion can be defined as the movement
of surface litter and topsoil from one place to
another. While erosion is a natural process,
often caused by wind and flowing water, it is
greatly accelerated by human activities such as
farming, construction, overgrazing by livestock,
burning of grass cover, and deforestation.
In India about 130 million hectare of land (45% of total
geographical area) is affected by serious soil erosion through ravine
and gully, shifting cultivation, cultivated wastelands, sandy
areas, deserts and water logging ( Govt. of India, 1989).
Of the 16 rivers of world which experience severe erosion and carry
heavy sediment load, 3 rivers, namely Ganges, Brahmaputra and
Kosy occupy the 2nd, 3rd and 12th position respectively
Pie Chart For Erosion
2.4) Radioactive waste
The radioactive pollution is defined as the physical pollution of soil and the other
radioactive materials.
Environmental Radiation
Natural Man Made
(Background radiations) (plutonium and thorium)
(Radium, Uranium, Thorium, Radon,
Potassium and Carbon)
It occur in the rock, soil and water.
In early April, 2010 a machine from Delhi
University containing cobalt-60, a radioactive
metal used for radiotherapy in hospitals, ended up in
a scrap yard in the city. The death from radiation
poisoning of a scrap yard worker in Delhi has
highlighted the lax enforcement of waste disposal
laws in India. The International Atomic Energy
Agency said it was the worst radiation incident
worldwide in four years.
India being used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste,
from foreign countries. Twenty containers with goods were
detained by the officials of Special Intelligence and
Investigation Branch attached to the Customs Department
here recently. Packs of broken toys, used diapers, empty
perfume bottles, used battery cells, thermocol, used
aluminium foil packing materials and coloured
surgical gloves were found in the containers. It could also
lead to contamination and spread of communicable diseases.
2.5) Biological Wastes
In developing countries, excreta-related diseases are very common,
and faecal sludges and wastewater contain correspondingly high
concentrations of excreted pathogens – the bacteria, viruses,
protozoa, and the helminths (worms) that cause gastro-
intestinal infections (GI) in man. There are approximately thirty
excreted infections of public health importance, and many of these are of
specific importance in excreta and wastewater use schemes. The risks
from transmission of excreted pathogens using human wastes in
agriculture and aquaculture have been and continue to be widely studied
and reported about.
Summary Of Causes
• Polluted water discharged from factories
• Runoff from pollutants (paint, chemicals, rotting organic material) leaching out of
landfill
• 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
3. Effects
a) Agricultural.
b) Industrial.
c) Urban.
d) Environmental Long Term Effects of
Soil Pollution.
a) Agricultural..
• Reduced soil fertility
• Reduced nitrogen fixation
• Increased erodibility
• Larger loss of soil and nutrients
• Deposition of silt in tanks and reservoirs
• Reduced crop yield
• Imbalance in soil fauna and flora
b) Industrial
• Dangerous chemicals entering underground water
• Ecological imbalance
• Release of pollutant gases
• Release of radioactive rays causing health problems
• Increased salinity
• Reduced vegetation
c) Urban
• Clogging of drains
• Inundation of areas
• Public health problems
• Pollution of drinking water sources
• Foul smell and release of gases
• Waste management problems
d) Environmental Long Term 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
4) Diseases
1. Cancer
2. Brain and Nerve Damage
3. Kidney and Liver Disease
4. Malaria
5. Other Diseases
5. Control / Prevention
The following steps have been suggested to control
soil pollution.
• Reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide use
• Reusing of materials
• Recycling and recovery of materials
• Reforesting
• Solid waste treatment
Anaerobic/aerobic decomposition of biodegradable municipal and
domestic waste is also being done and gives organic manure. Cow dung
which releases methane into the atmosphere, should be processed
further in 'gobar gas plants' to produce 'gobar gas' and good manure.
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