SOIL POLLUTION

First of all we should know that what is soil?

The soil is a resource for which there is no substitute.
Environmental historian “Donald worster” reminds us that
fertilizers are not a substitute for fertile soil.
The soil is a thin covering over the land consisting of a mixture of
a minerals, organic materials, living organism, air and water, That
together support the growth of plant life. Several factors contribute
to the formation of soil from the parent material. This include the
mechanical weathering activities, and lichens. Climate and time
are also important n the development of soils. In extremely dry or
cold climates soils develop very slowly, while in humid and warm
climates soils develop more rapidly. Under ideal climate
conditions ,soft parent material may require hundreds of years to
develop into soil. Mature soils are arranged in a series of zones
called ‘soil horizons’. Each horizons has a distinct texture and
composition that varies with different types of soils. A cross-
sectional view of the horizons in a soil is called a soil profile.
Therefore it is essential that proper soil conservation measures
are used to minimize the loss of the top soil. There are several
techniques that can protect the soil from erosion, today, both
water and soil are conserves through integrated treatment
methods. The two types of treatment generally used are:-

 Area treatment, which involves treatment the land

 Drainage-line treatment, which involves treating the natural
water courses(nalas)
Area treatment

PURPOSE TREATMENT MEASURE EFFECT

Reduce the impact of Develop vegetative cover on Minimum disturbance and
rain drops on the soil the non arable land displacement of soil practices.
Infiltration of water Apply water infiltration In-situ soil and moisture
where it falls measures on the area conservation
Minimum surface run Store surplus rain water by Increased soil moisture in the
off constructing bunds, ponds in area, facilitate ground water
the area recharge
Ridge to valley Treat the upper catchment Economically viable, less risk
sequencing first and then proceed of damage and longer life of
towards the outlets structures of the lower
catchments

Drainage-line treatment

PURPOSE TREARMENT MEASURE EFFECT

Stop further deepening of Plug the gullies at formation Stops erosion, recharges
gullies and retain sediment groundwater at the upper
run-off level
Reduce run-off velocity, Create temporary barriers Delayed flow and increased
pass cleaner water to the in nalas groundwater recharge
downstream side
Minimum sedimentation in Use various methods to
the storage basins treat the catchments
Low construction cost Use local material and skills Structures are locally
for constructing the maintained
structures
WHAT IS SOIL POLLUTION?
The contamination of soil with solid waste, acid rain excess of
fertilizers, Insecticides and herbicides is called soil pollution (or
land pollution). Soil pollution results from the build up of
contaminants, toxic compounds, radioactive materials, salts,
chemicals and cancer-causing agents. The most common soil
pollutants are hydrocarbons, heavy metals (cadmium, lead,
chromium, copper, zinc, mercury and arsenic), herbicides,

pesticides, oils, tars, PCBs and dioxins .

Until the 1970s, there was little talk of soil pollution and its
devastating effects. In the 1980s, the U.S. Superfund was created
to set guidelines for the handling of hazardous material and soil
contamination cleanup. Today there are more than 200,000 sites
awaiting EPA soil cleanup, which is very expensive and labor-
intensive work. Even a small cleanup project can cost $10,000,
while larger areas require millions of dollars to clean it up for
future use.

Soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (man-

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. This occurrence of this
phenomenon is correlated with the degree of industrializations
and intensities of chemical usage. 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,
requiring extensive amounts of geology, hydrology, chemistry and
computer modeling skills.
 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

INDIA:-
The current focus on environment is not new—environmental
considerations have been an integral part of the Indian culture.
The need for conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources has been expressed in Indian scriptures, more than
three thousand years old and is reflected in the constitutional,
legislative and policy framework as also in the international
commitments of the country. Even before India’s independence in
1947, several environmental legislation existed but the real
impetus for bringing about a well-developed framework came only
after the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm,
1972).Under the influence of this declaration, the National Council
for environmental Policy and Planning within the Department of
Science and Technology was set up in 1972. This Council later
evolved into a full-fledged Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF) in 1985 which today is the apex administrative body in the
country for regulating and ensuring environmental protection.
After the Stockholm Conference, in 1976, constitutional sanction
was given to environmental concerns through the 42nd
Amendment, which incorporated them into the Directive Principles
of State Policy and Fundamental Rights and Duties.
Since the 1970s an extensive network of environmental
legislation has grown in the country. The ‘MoEF’ and the pollution
control boards (CPCB i.e. Central Pollution Control Board and
SPCBs i.e. State Pollution Control Boards) together form the
regulatory and administrative core of the sector.
A policy framework has also been developed to complement
the legislative provisions. The Policy Statement for Abatement of
Pollution and the National Conservation Strategy and Policy
Statement on Environment and Development were brought out by
the MoEF in 1992, to develop and promote initiatives for the
protection and improvement of the environment. The EAP
(Environmental Action Programme) was formulated in 1993 with
the objective of improving environmental services and integrating
environmental considerations in to development programs.
Other measures have also been taken by the government to
protect and preserve the environment.
 LEGISLATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION IN INDIA:-

WATER- Water quality standards especially those for drinking

water are set by the Indian Council of Medical Research. These
bear close resemblance to WHO standards. The discharge of
industrial effluents is regulated by the Indian Standard Codes and
recently, water quality standards for coastal water marine outfalls
have also been specified. In addition to the general standards,
certain specific standards have been developed for effluent
discharges from industries such as, iron and steel, aluminium,
pulp and paper, oil refineries, petrochemicals and thermal power
plants. Legislation to control water pollution are listed below.

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,

1974
This Act represented India’s first attempts to
comprehensively deal with environmental issues. The Act
prohibits the discharge of pollutants into water bodies beyond a
given standard, and lays down penalties for non-compliance. The
Act was amended in 1988 to conform closely to the provisions of
the EPA, 1986. It set up the CPCB (Central Pollution Control
Board) which lays down standards for the prevention and control
of water pollution. At the State level, the SPCBs (State Pollution
Control Board) function under the direction of the
CPCB and the state government.
Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess
Act, 1977
This Act provides for a levy and collection of a cess on water
consumed by industries and local authorities. It aims at
augmenting the resources of the central and state boards for
prevention and control of water pollution.
Following this Act, The Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Cess Rules were formulated in 1978 for defining
standards and indications for the kind of and location of meters
that every consumer of water is required to install.

AIR:-
Air(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1981
To counter the problems associated with air pollution,
ambient air quality standards were established, under the 1981
Act. The Act provides means for the control and abatement of air
pollution. The Act seeks to combat air pollution by prohibiting the
use of polluting fuels and substances, as well as by regulating
appliances that give rise to air pollution. Under the Act
establishing or operating of any industrial plant in the pollution
control area requires consent from state boards. The boards are
also expected to test the air in air pollution control areas, inspect
pollution control equipment, and manufacturing processes.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for major
pollutants were notified by the CPCB in April 1994. These are
deemed to be levels of air quality necessary with an adequate
margin of safety, to protect public health, vegetation and property
(CPCB 1995 cited in Gupta, 1999). The NAAQS prescribe specific
standards for industrial, residential, rural and other sensitive
areas. Industry-specific emission standards have also been
developed for iron and steel plants, cement plants, fertilizer
plants, oil refineries and the aluminium industry. The ambient
quality standards prescribed in India are similar to those
prevailing in many developed and developing countries.
To empower the central and state pollution boards to meet
grave emergencies, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution)
Amendment Act, 1987, was enacted. The boards were authorized
to take immediate measures to tackle such emergencies and
recover the expenses incurred from the offenders. The power to
cancel consent for non-fulfilment of the conditions prescribed has
also been emphasized in the Air Act Amendment. The Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules formulated in 1982,
defined the procedures for conducting meetings of the boards, the
powers of the presiding officers, decision-making, the quorum;
manner in which the records of the meeting were to be set etc.
They also prescribed the manner and the purpose of seeking
assistance from specialists and the fee to be paid to them.
Complementing the above Acts is the Atomic Energy Act of 1982,
which was introduced to deal with radioactive waste. In 1988, the
Motor Vehicles Act, was enacted to regulate vehicular traffic,
besides ensuring proper packaging, labelling and transportation of
the hazardous wastes. Various aspects ofvehicular pollution have
also been notified under the EPA of 1986. Massemission
standards were notified in 1990, which were made more stringent
in 1996. In 2000 these standards were revised yet again and for
the first time separate obligations for vehicle owners,
manufacturers and enforcing agencies were stipulated. In
addition, fairly stringent Euro I and II emission norms were notified
by the Supreme Court on April 29, 1999 for the city of Delhi. The
notification made it mandatory for car manufacturers to conform to
the Euro I and Euro II norms by May 1999 and April 2000,
respectively, for new noncommercial vehicle sold in Delhi.

SOIL POLLUTION A CASE STUTY OF JHARKHAND

INTRODUCTION
Soil pollution means the change in physical chemical and
biological conditions of the soil through man’s misuse of land and
hence resulting degradation in quality and productivity of land. It is
also caused by the presence of xenobotic chemicals or other
alternative in the natural soil environment this type of
contamination typically arises from the underground storage tanks
application of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata oil
fuel dumping leaching of waste from landfill or direct discharge of
industrial wastes to the soil. The most common chemicals
involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead
and other heavy metals. This occurrence of this phenomenon is
correlated with the degree of industrializations and intensities of
chemical usage.

The concern over soil contamination stems primarily from

health risks, from direct contact with the contaminated soil vapors
from contaminants and from secondary contamination of water
supplies within the underlying the soil. Mapping of contamination
soil sites and the resulting cleanup are time consuming and
expensive tasks, requiring extensive amounts of ecology,
hydrology, chemistry, and computer modeling skills. In India
required attention has not been paid to proper management of the
land and soil resources that has resulted serious degradation.
The land area which is recorded is 30.6 crore hectares. Out of this
17.6 crore hectares are subjected to the environmental problems.
Water and wind erosion is causing damage to 15 crore hectares
of the land and this constitutes a major threat to the countries
sustainable development. Soil pollution also leads to the water
and air pollutions. Soil pollution not only affects the crops but it
also affects the environment, ecosystem health of human,
animals and environment. Soil pollution can lead to water
pollution if toxic chemicals reach in to groundwater or if
contaminated run of reaches streams, lakes or oceans. Soil also
naturally contributes to air pollution by releasing volatile
compounds into the atmosphere. The decomposition of organic
materials in soil can release sulfur dioxide and other sulfur
compounds, causing acid rain. Heavy metals and other potentially
toxic elements are the most serious soil pollutions in sewage.
Sewage sludge contains heavy metals and, if applied repeatedly
or in large amounts, the treated soil may accumulate heavy metal
and consequently become unable to even support plant life.
The ever increasing population of the environment has been
one of the greatest concerns for science and the general public in
the last fifty years. Soil pollution can lead to water pollutions. The
rapid industrialization of agriculture, expansion of chemical
industry, and the need to generate cheap forms of energy has
caused the continuous release of man made organic chemicals in
to natural ecosystem. Consequently the ecosystem, the
atmosphere, bodies of water, and many soils environments have
become polluted by a large variety of toxic compounds. Many of
these compounds at high concentrations or following prolonged
exposure have the potential to produce adverse effects in humans
and other organisms: these include the danger of acute toxicity,
mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and teratogenesis for human and
other organisms. Some of these man made toxic compounds are
also resistant to physical, chemicals, or biological degradation
and thus represent an environmental burden of considerable
magnitude.
There are various types of soil pollution which
are given bellow.
1) Agricultural soil pollution
* Pollution of surface soil.
* Pollution of underground soil
2) Soil pollution by industrial effluents and solid wastes
* Pollution of surface soil.
* Disturbances in soil profile
3) Pollution due to urban activities.
* Pollution of surface soil
* Pollution of underground soil

Numerous attempts are being made to decontaminated polluted

soil, including an array of both in situ and off-site techniques.
None of this is ideal for remediating contaminated soil and often,
more than one of the technique may be necessary to optimize the
clean up effort.
 The causes of soil pollution

A) Domestic and municipal waste causes the soil pollution.

B) Industrial wastes are dumped into the soil which increases
the soil pollution.
C)Agricultural pollution like excess irrigation, use of pesticide
intensive fertilizer etc.
D)Mineral product is always associated with the solid waste
generation.
E) Nuclear waste is very harmful to the soil.
F) Acid rain is caused by air pollution. The acidic water falls on
the soil and pollutes it by making the soil acidic.
G)Solid wastes comes from homes, cattle sheds, agricultural
fields, industries and many other places and gets
accumulated in the form of heaps.
H)The use of fertilizers to increase the crop yields makes the
soil either acidic or alkaline and pollutes it.
I) Insecticides and herbicides are poisonous chemicals which
are used to spray standing crops to prevent them from
harmful insects and herbs. These insecticides and
herbicides mix with the soil and pollute it.
 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY

The study about soil pollution is essential at present

situation. Day by day the soil pollution is increasing and affecting
both human life as well as environment. Now one third of the land
has been affected by salinity. It is due to irrigation practices. Soil
pollution does not only affect the human life but it also causes
water and air pollution. This pollution leads disturbances in the
ecosystem. The carelessness and selfish motive of human being
is causing rapid growth in soil pollution. There is a saying,
“whatever we give, and we receive the same”. It is very much true
that we receive what we give. At present soil pollution has
become a great threat to the world. The soil is reacting and we
are suffering. So it very much needed to know about soil pollution
as well as other pollution. So that we may able to take better
steps to preserve soil. Soil is like our mother who carries us,
provides all our needs. Soil pollution is a major threat to the
country. So it is necessary to protect the soil from pollution.
Awareness among the people for its conservation should be
increased. In India required attention has not been paid to proper
management of the land and soil resources. With the result they
have suffered serious degradation. So it is necessary that
effective steps are taken to provide drainage and other
appropriate measure. It should be clear that the countries
agricultural productivity will remain adversely affected until the
problems of soil pollution are tackled. So to raise the agricultural
productivity an appropriate measure should be taken to reduce
soil pollution. How ever the result of these effects will not be
available immediately. In fact it will take several years to prevent
the soil from further pollution. Hence the conservation of soil is
very necessary. The purpose of the study of this topic is to create
awareness among the people and make it free from pollution
which will increase the agricultural production.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the soil pollution as follows:-
1) To study the effects on agricultural products.
2) To study the effect on human health.
3) To know about ecosystem
4) To study about the effect of polythene in the health of
environment and human health.
5) To know the effect of soil pollution in the development of the
country.

HYPOTHESIS
1. Soil pollution is affecting the productivity adversely. It
has decreased the level of productivity by reducing the
fertility of the soil.
2. Soil pollution also affects the human health. Soil
pollution can enter our body if not taken care it enters
our body through the food &water we taken. It wll also
causes harmful diseases.
3. Soil pollution has adverse impact on ecosystem. soil
pollution will lower the quality of environment. It will
pollute the air by ash rams.it will affect the creatures
 living in the soil that are an important part of the
ecosystem.
4. Use of polythene also cause soil pollution.use of
polythene has become a great threat in human life as
well as to the environment. because after using of
polythene we displace in the environment.
5. Soil pollution will hinder the overall development of the
country. Soil pollution will affect the productivity of all
the sectors.and it will affect the development of the
country.

QUESTIONAIRE
1. How much percentage of production has decreased due to
the soil pollution?
2. What are the steps you are taking to preserve your land?
3. Who is responsible for the soil pollution?
4. What is the impact of soil in production, health of the soil,
environment?
5. Can you do any preventive work?
6. Can you start any awareness programme to reach out the
people to save the soil fro pollution?
7. What are the reasons of soil pollution?
8. How does the soil pollution affects the Indian economy?
9. Are you affected by the soil pollution? If yes than how?
Physically/economically/productivity yield.
10. What are the impacts of the soil pollution in national
economy?
 ANSWERS OF THE QUESTION

1. According to the places it varies, some says 30%, the other

says 10%
2. Many steps are taken to preserve soil like recycling the
wastes, composing the domestic waters, proper disposal of
wastes, landfill etc.
3. All entities are responsible it includes all the farmers,
industries, house hold are responsible for the soil pollution.
4. The impact of production –due to soil pollution the
productivity has decreased. Seeds are not germinated
properly. Health of the soil- the quality of soil which is
important for the plants germination looses its quality. If the
soil is unfit for cultivation then it requires lots of mans efforts
and lots of manures and fertilizers to restore its quality. The
cultivation is very low in the polluted soil or no cultivation is
possible. The plants do not receive the important
nourishments required for its germination. Environment soil
pollution makes the environment unfit for sustain. Soil
pollution disturbs the ecological balance. To control the
pollution it requires lots of chemicals fertilizers which are
harmful for the environment.
5. Yes we can do control over soil pollution by
a) avoiding the polythene.
b) Waste should not be dumped in open place.
c) Reduction in the use of chemicals, fertilizers and
pesticides
d) We should avoid use of drainage waste which is
highly polluted.
6. Yes we can start awareness programme like polythene
awareness programme, reduced use of fertilizers,
proper dumping of industrial wastes. E.t.c.
7. All of the above stated points.
8. Due to soil pollution the national income has
decreased. Production has decreased. India’s economy
is based on agriculture, and its major income comes
from the agriculture and its major income comes from
the agriculture sector. If the soil is polluted it decreased
the productivity which lowers the national income. And
major part of the land is wasted due to pollution which
reduces the cultivation.
9. Yes we are affected by the soil pollution soil pollution
has reduced the productivity yield and it also has
affects our health.
10. Some people dump the waste on the open place
or field which causes soil pollution. There are some
people who dispose the house hold waste very
carefully. They dug a fit and dump that that does not
affect the soil.
 TABULATION

ARRANGEMENT OF DATA
Land area 32.68 crores hectares
Land area used 30.6 crores hectares
Environmental 17.5 crores hectares
damage
Water and wind 15 crore hectares
erosion
According to year 3.75 crore hectares of land was brought
1992-93 under soil conservation measures
According to year 10% agriculture production have been
2001 reduced due to domestic and municipal
wastes
20% of people sick due to the chemical
food
3.29 million hectares are degraded land
33%-67%yield loss due to soil pollution
( sources from the Indian economy book by mishra and puri)
The total geographical area of India is 32.68 crore hectares, out of
which 30.6 crore hectare of land is used for various purpose and
17.5crore hectare of land is environmentally damaged. The area
polluted by water and wind erosion is 15 crore hectares.
according to the year 1992-93 soil conservation methods were
adopted according to that 3.75crore hectare of land were brought
under it. According to year 2001,the agricultural land reduced
due to domestic and municipal wastes and 20% of people felt sick
due to consumption of chemical found. In that year, the total
degraded land was 3.29 million hectare. And the yield loss due to
soil pollution was 33%-67%.
U.S.A. 2.25
CANADA 1.64
U.K. 1.0
SWEDEN 0.79
FRANCE 0.72
INDIA 0.33
TAIWAN 0.5
RANGOON 0.25

Series 1
2.5

1.5
Series 1

0.5

0
U.S.A. CANADA U.K. SWEEN FRANCE INDIA TAIWAN RANGOON
In this data we can see the average per capita per day solid
waste in different affecting countries which are as followed:-In
U.S.A. per day soild waste is 2.25% which is very high In
comparison to other countries. In Canada it is 1.64%quite lower
than U.S.A. in U.K. it is 1%. In Sweden it is 0.79%quite lower than
the most populated countries. Where as France, it is 0.72%
almost less populated than Sweden. Where as in our country
India ,it is 0.33%. in Taiwan it is 0.5%and in Rangoon it is 0.25%.
From this table we can see that the most polluted country is
u.s.a. and the least polluted region is Rangoon. India is less
polluted as compared to other countries.

PRESENTATION OF DATA AND FACTS

Lead and Level of Total area(ha) Percentage(%)

cadmium pollution
content in rice
grain
Lead(ppm)
<-0.5 Unpolluted 63,300 60
0.5-1.0 slightly polluted 35000 33
>-1.0 polluted 7200 7
Total 105500
Cadmium(ppm)
<0.12 unpolluted 83,300 79
0.12-0.24 slightly polluted 18500 17
>0.24 polluted 3700 4
total 105500
Source: kasno el at 2000
 According to kasno et at.2000

-<0.5 ppm– unpolluted from the total area 63,300or 60% of land
area
0.5-1.0 lead ppm is slightly polluted out of 35000 area or 33% of
land area.
1.0 lead opp is polluted out of 7200 or 7%
<0.12 cadmium ppm unpolluted are out of 18500 or 17%
>0.24 cadmium ppm polluted out of 3700 or 4%
Heavy metal content in two tea plantations, west Java, Indonesia
Villages Distance from Mercury
traditional mining contents(ppm)
location(k.m.) Soil ricestraw rice grain
A,B <0.1 6.7 5.3 0.43
C 0.8-1.0 5.6 1.8 <0.0005
D 1.2-1.5 1.8 0.8 <0.0005
E 7.0-7.5 2.4 --- <0.25
F 11.5-12.0 1.3 --- <0.0005

Heavy metal content in two tea plantation in West Java and

Indonesia-
Village A,B are<0.1 k.m. far from the traditional mining soil 6.7 an
rice straw 5.3. and rice grain 0.43
In village C distance is 0.8-1.0k.m and the mercury content ppm
is 5.6 in soil,1.8 rice straw and<0.0005 in rice grain.
In village D distance is 1.2-1.5 and mercury contents in soil
is1.8,in rice straw 0.8 in rice grain <0.0005
Analysis :-

Effect on agriculture products

According to 2001 about 329 millions hectares of soil is
categorized as degraded and this degradation is resulting in
33%-67%yield loss. Due to high irrigation facilities land is
becoming salinity which can not produce food grain.
There are various reasons of soil pollution which results less
agricultural products.
A) domestic and municipal wastes—
This waste is mainly generated by house hold. These wastes
are not properly disposed. it is simply dump on the soil. These
wastes are like, vegetable wastes, rotten and spoiled goods,
paper, and glass, metal etc. some of these waste are
decomposable but the others are can not be composed. So
these wastes lower the capacity of productivity of the land.
According to the survey the domestic and municipal wastes
have reduced 10%of its production.
B) Industrial waste
Lakhs of tones industrial wastes are dump daily into soil
which reduces the fertility of the soil. Some of the industries
direct their waste water or acidic water to the cultivable land
that affects the productions. E.g. Raurkela steel plant.
B) Nuclear wastes-
 Nuclear wastes are harmful for the agriculture production.
The plants will die off.
C)mineral pollution-
This is associated with the solid wastes generation. Mining
results soil erosion and reduces the fertility of the land.
Soil pollution affects the health of human beings as well as
the health of animals.

People are directly or indirectly related with the soil. Such as

residents, park, schools, play ground, crop field etc. we stay on
the soil, eat and drink from the production of the soil. These all
goods contain pollutions when we do not take care of the soil
and it enters into the body of human beings along with the
food. The pesticide, chemicals which is used in the land goes
to the food grains. These chemicals reduce immunity power of
the body. Around 20% people are sick due to chemical food.

The use and effect of polythene

At present the use of polythene is a big issue. Day after day
the use of polythene is increasing. Now the jharkhand
government has taken steps to reduce it. The pravat khabar
has taken lead to free our state from the use of polythene. The
use of polythene has become a great threat in human life as
well as to the environment. Every body liked the use of
polythene because it was an easy means of caring things, the
sailors made available to the buyers. After using it people
displaced it in the environment. People never realized that by
throwing polythene, will affect soil, water, and air etc. the
burning of the polythene produces poisonous gas which will
affect the human life, animals, plants, environments, climate
and global warming. Now people have realized it and started to
stop the use of polythene.
 60 millions tons polythene has been produced per year.1
millions of bags have been used per minute. Only 1% of
polythene has been recycled. Per year 1 lakh of sea creatures
are dying due to the use of polythene. In jharkhand
daily60tonns polythene are being used. Last year around 44
billions of polythene has been used through out the world, from
them only 4 lakh of polythene are recycled.
(Source from “prabhat khabar”, date from 1st of February to
12th of February 2010.)

The effect of polythene

The regular use of polythene can be reason for dangerous
diseases
It has maximum effect on global worming
It can be a cause of cancer.
It reduces the fertility of the soil.
It affects the plant and trees. Polythene becomes poisonous for
the trees and plants.
It is affecting water, air fertile land.
The gas which comes out from the polythene is more
dangerous for the children.
Due to polythene the ice which is collected in north and south
drub is melting very fast. Air and water is becoming poisonous.
The used polythene which is dump in the soil, water, drains,
are affecting the recycle of water and the drainage system is
blocked. Soil reduces the contain of ground water level. It is
reducing the productivity of the food grains.
(Source from “prabhat khabar”, date from 1st of February to 12th
of February 2010.)

Plastic bag litter the landscape :-

 once they are used most plastic bags go in to land fill, or
rubbish tips. Each year more and more plastic bags are ending
up the littering the environment. Once the become litter, plastic
bags find their way in to our waterways, park, beaches, streets.
And if they are burnt, they infuse the air with toxic fumes.
Plastic bag kill animals:-
About 100,000 animals are killed every year due to the
plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them
for food, and there for die. And the worse ingest plastic bag
remain intact even after the death and decomposition of the
animals. Thus it lies around in the landscape where another
victim may ingest it.

Plastic bags are non biodegradable

And one of the worst environmental effects of plastic bags is
that they are non biodegradable. The decomposition of plastic
bags takes about 1000 years.
Petroleum is required to produce plastic bags
:-
As it is petroleum products are diminishing and getting more
expensive by the day, since we have been using this non
renewable resource increasingly. Petroleum is vital for our
modern way of life. It is necessary for our energy requirements-
for our factories transport, heating, lighting, and so on. Without
viable alternative sources of energy yet on the horizon, if the
supply of petroleum were to be turn off, it would lead to
practically the whole world grinding to a halt. Surely this
precious resource should not be wasted on producing plastic
bags, should it?
Effect on health:-
The major concern is that there are many sensitive lands
where people are in direct contact with soil such as residences,
parks, schools and playgrounds. Other contact mechanism
includes contaminations of drinking water or inhalations of soil
contaminants which have vaporized. There is a very large set
of health consequences from exposure to soil contamination
depending on pollutant type, pathway of attack and
vulnerability of the exposed pollution. Many of the pesticides
and herbicides formulation are carcinogenic to all population.
Lead is especially hazardous to young children, in which group
there is a high risk of developmental damage to the brain and
nervous system, while to all populations kidney damage is a
risk. Many chlorinated solvents include liver changes, kidney
changes, and depression of central nervous system. There is
an entire spectrum of further health effects such as headache,
nausea, fatigue, eye irritation and skin rash from the harmful
chemicals. At sufficient dosages a large number of soil
contaminants cause death.
Effect on ecosystem:-
The soil pollution has a great effect on ecosystem. Not
unexpectedly, soil contaminants can have significant
consequences for ecosystem. There are radical soil chemistry
changes which can rise from the presence of many hazardous
chemicals even at low concentration of the contaminants
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 tern has
major consequences for predator or consumer species. 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.

Suggestions-:
There are many suggestions stated bellow-
1. Keeping in mind the future generation, production and the
need of food production we should take care of the soil.
2. We should not dump the wastes on the field. It should be
collected and make use of that waste to fill up the deep land
to make it level for building purpose.
3. Industries should not channel the chemicals or poisoned
water in to the river or to the land. The big tanks should be
made to recycle the water to use it again.
 4. The chemicals and fertilizer which reduces the fertility of soil
should be reduced.
5. Too much irrigation facility also not good because it makes
the land into salinity.
6. All should have respect towards soil. Because it provides all
our needs from our birth to till death.
7. The deforestation has affected the soil. Due to this rain fall
has decreased. The ground water level has gone very deep.
So we need forestation.
8. If we have the will, we can start reducing their use in small
ways. A hotel bag can make a good substitute for holding
the shopping. You can keep the bag with the chair and then
put your purchase into it instead of the usual plastic bags.
9. Recycling the plastic bags you have is another good idea.
These can come into use for various purposes, like holding
your garbage, instead of purchasing new bags.
Government is working out to lesson the impact of plastic
bags on the environment, however, each of us shoulder some
of the responsibility for this problem, which ultimately harm.

CONCLUSION
While writing this project we felt very happy. We became
aware of soil pollution. we came to know more about soil
pollution, its effects, causes. our interview with farmers was very
enriching. They shared about their feelings, the loss of food grains
due to soil pollution, in this present situation it is very much
needed to know about it. The growth rate of population is very
high, and it is needed to improve the quantity of food grains to
meet sufficient food grains for survival. The soil pollution is not
only affecting the agricultural production but also affecting in the
life of human being, people are getting incurable diseases . due to
the use of polythene people are having cancer. Soil pollution is
caused mainly by the human being. There are also another
reasons of soil pollution. Now we need to take care of the soil we
need to bring awareness among people, that all should know the
value of soil and its use or importance.
Soil is like a mother who carries nourishes and provides
everything that we need. So it is our responsibility to take care of
it.
All the group member are very active and their co-operation
has help us to get success in our project work. It is not only our
effort but “PROF.M.BARLA” has great role under whose guidance
we are able to do our work. We do appreciate and thank one
another. Well done this project work brought great joy in our life
though we were tensed but now we feel happy.

APPENDIX

Table 1. land use changes in the period1970-1988(OECD,1991)

LAND AREA ARABLE AND CORP LAND WOODED AREA
AREA1988 AREA1988 CHANGE AREA1988 CHANGE
103 km2 103KM2 (%) 70-80(%) 103KM2(%) 70-80(%)
CANADA 9,215 460 5 9.7 4500 49 1.6
USA 9167 1899 21 -0.6 2946 32 -3.4
JAPAN 377 47 12 -15.0 253 67 0.1
AUSTRALI 7618 470 6 16.3 1060 14 13.1
A 550 195 36 6.2 152 28 8.2
FRANCE 294 121 41 -0.7 68 23 9.5
ITALY 499 204 41 -3.7 157 31 8.9
SPAIN 242 70 29 -3.1 24 10 25.5
U.K. 130693 14754 11 4.3 40,490 31 -3.4
WORLD

Land degradation can very often be evaluated (qualitatively or

quantitatively)in terms of soil erosion whish is a process
accompanying the degradation during its evolution, and
sometimes represents its final stage. That explains why many
documents dealing with land degradation are actually expressed

as soil degradation.
 REFRENCE
 INDIAN ECONOMY-MISHRA & PURI-2008
 ENVIRONMENT ECONOMICS-M.L. JHINGAN-2008
 PRABHAT KHABAR- 1ST February TO 12TH February-2010
 WWW.SCRIBD.COM

 WWW.GOOGLE.COM
 WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM
 WWW.ANSWERS.COM