Land Pollution

 

 

  Pollutants produced by human activities enter the soil and accumulate to a certain extent, causing deterioration of soil quality and causing harm, which is called soil pollution. When there are too many harmful substances in the soil, exceeding the self-purification capacity of the soil, it will cause changes in the composition, structure and function of the soil, microbial activities will be inhibited, and the harmful substances or their decomposition products will gradually accumulate in the soil, and will be indirectly absorbed by the human body through "soil→plant → human body" or "soil → water → human body". Soil pollution can lead to reduced crop yields and the quality of agricultural products, some indicators in crops exceeding national standards, groundwater and surface water pollution, and atmospheric environmental quality, and ultimately endanger human health

  The development status of soil pollution in China: relevant statistics show that at present, the cultivated land with serious soil pollution in China has accounted for 20% of the cultivated land area nationwide, especially in some economically developed areas, the severe pollution of cultivated land is very serious, and the proportion of severe pollution of cultivated land in some areas has reached 10% of the cultivated land area within the region, and the proportion of light pollution has reached 70% of the cultivated land area within the region, causing very serious damage to the soil quality in the region.

  Causes of Land PollutionMany human activities can contribute to land pollution. Let’s take a closer look at the most common causes.

Urbanization

As cities continue to grow, more and more land is converted into urban land. Therefore, urbanization contributes to the destruction of natural habitats and an increase in the production of waste.

Construction

Construction projects often involve the use of heavy machinery, which can damage the land. In addition, construction waste, such as concrete and bricks, can cause severe land environmental.

Mining

Unfortunately, when mines are not properly managed, they can pollute the surrounding environment with dust and toxic chemicals.

Agriculture

Intensive farming practices can lead to land pollution in a number of ways. For example, pesticides and fertilizers can contaminate the soil, while livestock waste can pollute water supplies.

Littering

When people carelessly throw their trash on the ground, it can end up polluting the environment as a result.

Effects of land pollution

With luck and the right atmospheric conditions, air and water pollution disperse and disappear. What makes land pollution such a problem is that land is static, so land pollution stays exactly where it is until and unless someone cleans it up. Land that's polluted stays polluted; land that's urbanized almost invariably stays urbanized. As we've already see, plastics take hundreds of years to disappear while radiation can contaminate land for ten times longer. That means landfill sites and radioactive waste dumps remain that way pretty much indefinitely.

The simplest effect of land pollution is that it takes land out of circulation. The more land we use up, the less we have remaining. That might not sound a problem where there's plenty of land in rural areas, but it's certainly a concern where productive agricultural land is concerned, especially as the world's population continues to increase. The biggest problem comes when contaminated land is returned to use, either as building or agricultural land. Houses might be built on brownfield (former industrial) sites that haven't been cleaned up properly, putting future owners and their families at risk. Or people might get their water from rivers supplied by groundwater contaminated by landfill sites, mine workings, or otherwise polluted land some distance away. Illnesses such as cancer develop over years or decades for a variety of reasons and it's extremely difficult to prove that they've been caused by something like local environmental pollution, especially when people move homes during their lifetime. No-one knows how much land is contaminated, how contamination varies from one place to another, or how land contaminants react with one another once they enter watercourses and become water pollution. So the scale of the problem and its ultimate effects are impossible to determine.

Solutions to Land Pollution

There are several possible solutions to land pollution, including conservation. Conservation focuses on preserving natural resources, such as soil and plants. The efforts to conserve resources can start with utilizing sustainable practices.

For instance, leaving some of the trees in a forest to naturally die and decay. This not only leaves the cover needed for the soil and other vegetation, but it helps to provide the nutrients that the soil needs to remain fertile. Other solutions include: 

Proper waste disposal that focuses on treating waste and disposing it in the safest manner possible. Reusing materials to reduce the need for harvesting of resources. Products that are not reusable can likely be recycled. Reducing the usage of non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic shopping bags. The simple act of switching to a reusable cloth bag for groceries can help cut down on the need for non-biodegradable materials. Organic gardening can reduce the usage of pesticides and insecticides. Non-gardeners can help by buying organic food.