Effects of Land Pollution: Definition, Causes, and Minimization Practices

Human pollution has grown tremendously around the globe, as there is an increase in demand for food, water, home, electricity, roads, automobiles, and numerous other commodities. To fulfill these demands, natural resources are suffering and are contributing to the pollution of air, water, and soil. Pollution can cause changes in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, land, water, or soil.

Here are some of the common effects of land pollution:

• Water is not safe to drink. 
• Polluted soil leads to a loss of fertile land for agriculture. 
• Climate change causes an onslaught of disastrous problems, including flash floods and irregular rainfalls. 
• The endangerment and extinction of species in wildlife.

Key terms: Land Pollution, Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Acid Rain, Soil Pollution, Environment

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What is Land Pollution?

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Land pollution is a form of Soil pollution where the earth’s surface degrades by the discharge of pollutants. This occurs due to the overuse of soil degradation, and chemical fertilizers, that are caused by running water. Soil contamination can also occur due to the introduction of biological contaminants, physical contaminants, and chemical pollutants.

Land Pollution

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Causes of Land Pollution

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Land pollution is mostly caused because of the deposition of waste materials which can be in any form that is either solid or liquid.

The main causes of land pollution are elaborated below:

1. Everyday Waste: These include the garbage which is disposed of by our homes. The garbage can be in different forms as solid waste contains food and kitchen waste and paper that is biodegradable and non-bio gradable items such as plastic, chemical waste including batteries, and paints; biomedical wastes, etc.
2. Construction and Demolition Waste: The construction of buildings or roads also leave behind many construction waste material such as bricks, cement, nails, electrical wires, shingles, concrete rubbles, wood objects, asphalt, iron, and steel. Demolition waste such as materials that are produced after the demolition of any structure like bridges and apartments are also considered to be pollutants.
3. Hazardous Waste: These are toxic wastes that pose a threat to the environment. These include chemicals such as petroleum, carbon, pesticide, and fertilizers.
4. Agricultural activities: Due to the increase in population the farmers have practiced overusing fertilizers and pesticides to keep their crops safe from insects, fungi, bacteria, etc. leading to soil poisoning and contamination.
5. Overcrowding of Landfills: Wastes like aluminum, plastics, and others are used for landfilling which causes land pollution. There are other causes as well such as deforestation, mining, soil erosion, industrialization, poor sewage treatment, etc.
6. Nuclear Waste: There is radioactive waste from nuclear research stations and nuclear power plants, that is contaminating the soil as they have a long half-life, they can survive in the soil for long periods of time.

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Effects of Land Pollution

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Effects of land pollution on Earth are:

1. Soil Pollution: The uppermost layer of soil gets contaminated due to mining, farming, and factories, which may allow harmful chemicals to enter the soil affecting the growth of crops.
2. Water Pollution: The toxic waste released by the factories make the water unfit for drinking. The soil seeps down and causes pollution in the groundwater and destroys the water table.
3. Air Pollution: The kind of waste that doesn’t get seeped into the soil is known as non-biodegradable waste, which is burned to cause air pollution because of the toxic substances that are emitted into the air.
4. Acid Rain: Acid rain is formed when any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid, falls to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.

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How to Minimize Land Pollution

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Land pollution can get minimized in the following ways: 

1. To prevent waste from entering the environment which can be done by properly disposing of waste, using less packaging, and recycling materials.
2. Huge garbage heaps need to be cleaned.
3. Farmers must start adapting to natural fertilizers such as manure and go for natural pest management strategies to secure the quality of the soil.
4. Trees help in controlling soil erosion as it acts as an obstacle to wind speed from carrying soil sediments. 
5. The burning of fossil fuels must be avoided as they release harmful gases like nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc. 
6. Proper waste management facilities can stop industries from dumping their toxic waste in open areas that damage the land.

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Things to Remember

• Pollution takes place when any substance or any type of energy is put into the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed or safely stored. 
• Pollution can be caused from both artificial and natural materials that are created, consumed, and discarded in an unsustainable manner.
• Air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution are three major types of environmental pollution.
• Land pollution is a destruction or a fall in quality of the earth's surface due to human actions. 

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