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Land pollution

Land pollution is one of the gravest kinds of pollutions. I say so because we do not realize when and how we pollute land due to different things we do and decisions we take. We realize the air is getting polluted when we step out of our houses and take a deep breath. We know when our actions cause water pollution, for we can see for ourselves the quality of the water worsening. Similarly noise, light, visual pollution can all be monitored, because we can all see or sense these kinds of pollution. However, land pollution is a hard one to get since we do not understand and we cannot comprehend which of our actions cause destruction of land.

What is Land Pollution?

When the anthropogenic effects of development adversely affect land (especially in turns of quality of land), it can be termed as land pollution. This brings us to an important question - what counts as an adverse effect? The answer is simple - anything that reduces the productivity and potential of a piece of land. Here, 'productivity and potential' refers to prospective uses of a piece of land for any of the different purposes for which land is used; including infrastructure, housing, services, agriculture, forestry, etc. If any of the effects of human development reduce the potential of a piece of land to be used for any good purpose, it amounts to land pollution.

Causes of Land Pollution

1. Degenerative Actions encompass a lot of human actions, including - deforestation, overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, desertification, mining, inefficient and / or inadequate waste treatment, landfill, litter, etc. Many of these are unavoidable; however, definitely the severity of these actions in terms of the effects they have on the land can be reduced by taking appropriate and adequate corrective measure. For example, the amount of litter produced can be hugely reduced if we all strictly say NO to plastic. The key here is to conduct a thorough EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment.

2. Misuse of Land mainly refers to felling of trees to clear land for agriculture, as well as processes like desertification and land conversion. Desertification is when anthropogenic effects of human development and / or other actions converts a piece of (essentially) fertile land into desert-land or dryland. Isn't that a scary thought? Land once converted to desert-land can never be reclaimed by any amount of corrective measures. This is also a serious issue because t does not only affect the land, but also the overall biodiversity of a place, specially when land is cleared for agriculture. A lot of indigenous flora and fauna is lost in the process.

3. Inefficient Use of Land - surprised? Does inefficient use of land count as a cause of land pollution? Yes. Why? Due to the consequences of inefficient use of land. Inefficient use of land as such is not going to cause land pollution. However, inefficient use of land amounts to wastage, and hence shortage of land; and it is precisely during such conditions that man has to resort to measure such as deforestation and others to meet his needs. It is an important, albeit an indirect cause of land pollution that is often largely neglected.

4. Soil Pollution is when the top-most 'soil' layer of land is destroyed or polluted. Soil pollution is again another cause of land pollution that affects not only the land, but also a lot of other things such as forest cover of a region, productivity of land in terms of agriculture, grazing etc. Soil pollution is also caused by wrong agricultural practices, such as overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This causes non-biodegradable chemicals to enter and accumulate in the food-chain - a process often referred to as biomagnification of a pollutant.

5. Land Conversion is the process whereby a piece of land is converted from its indigenous form to a form used for either agriculture or infrastructure. Land conversion is especially a growing problem that we possibly do not have a good - or a good enough - solution for. The best way to avoid land conversion is to make efficient use of the available land. Using a piece of land to its maximum potential is the key to eliminate many of the causes of land pollution.

Other key causes of land pollution include - urbanization, improper waste disposal, industrial activities, nuclear research, chemicals released by all sorts of heavy industries, coal-fired power plants, metals production industries, etc.

Effects of Land Pollution

1. Effects on Climate Land pollution can affect the general environment of the Earth. Land pollutions leads to loss in the forest cover of Earth. This is in turn going to affect the amount of rain. Less rains mean lesser vegetation. The effect of all different kinds of pollution will eventually lead to problems like acid rains, greenhouse effect, global warming. All of these problems have already initiated and need to be curbed before the situation runs out of control.

2. Extinction of Species

One of the major causes of concern is the extinction of species. Species are pushed towards endangerment and extinction primarily by two processes. Habitat fragmentation is the fragmentation of the natural habitat of an organism; cause primarily by urban sprawl. Habitat destruction, on the other hand, is when land clearing adversely affects animals special such that their natural habitat is lost. Both the actions can cause some species to go extinct and others to become invasive.

3. Biomagnification Biomagnification is the process in which certain non-biodegradable substances go on accumulating in the food-chain (in one or more species). The most common example is of methylmercury in fish and mercury in eagles. Not only does biomagnification put the particular species at risk, it puts all the species above and below it at risk, and ultimately affects the food pyramid.

4. Effects on Biodiversity Species extinction and biomagnification is going to overthrow the balance of nature very significantly. The main reason for this is disturbance created in the food chain. To give you a very simple example - on account of biomagnification of mercury in eagles, they might go extinct in the subsequent years. However, we know eagles prey on snakes. Less (or no) eagles will then result in more number of snakes!

As you may have realized, land pollution is indeed going to affect a lot more things than we though it will. Hence, I leave you with some corrective measure you can take on a personal level to reduce land pollution. Encourage organic farming - buy organic food. Proper garbage disposal - separate your garbage before you give it to the garbage collector; and strictly say NO to plastic. Encourage recycling - buy recycled products, notebooks, paper, etc. Restrict use of herbicides and pesticides - they are not only used in farm, but in your own backyard as well. If we reduce our contribution to garbage and litter, therein itself we will be able to significantly reduce land pollution and probably curb it entirely in the near future. Also do realize this isn't only about land pollution; it is about all kinds of pollution. We need to take steps to prevent damaging our Earth. We have no other place to go.

Land Pollution Land pollution is pollution of the Earths natural land surface by industrial, commercial, domestic and agricultural activities. What are the sources of land pollution? Some of the main contributors to land pollution are: Chemical and nuclear plants Industrial factories Oil refineries Human sewage Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars Mining Littering Overcrowded landfills Deforestation Construction debris Here are a few facts about land pollution: Every year one American produces over 3285 pounds of hazardous waste Land pollution causes us to lose 24 billion tons of top soil every year Americans generate 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year We throw away enough trash every day to fill 63,000 garbage trucks Every day Americans throw away 1 million bushels of litter out their car window Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but theyre not How to Prevent Land Pollution The best way to prevent land pollution is to recycle. Here are a few other ways you can reduce land pollution: Reuse any items that you can Buy biodegradable products Store all liquid chemicals and waste in spill-proof containers

Eat organic foods that are grown without pesticides Dont use pesticides Use a drip tray to collect engine oil Buy products that have little packaging Dont dump motor oil on the ground

LAND POLLUTION

There have been an increase in the natural calamities, all over the world, in the past few years. One of the main reasons behind this is the environment degradation that has taken place due to air, water and land pollution. Speaking of land pollution, the main culprits behind it are the industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, human wastes as well as material wastes, which are not disposed off properly. These accumulate overtime, seeping into the soil and land, adversely affecting, not only humans, but plants and animals as well. So, if life on this earth has to be sustained, it is high time that adequate steps are taken, both at individual as well as collective levels.

Causes

First let's have a look at some of the causes behind land pollution. Urbanization and Industrialization - As more and more people migrated to cities for better job prospects, it caused a dearth of land. Forests around the cities were cut and suburbs came up where the immigrants began to live. Due to this deforestation, ecosystems got disturbed and many plant and animal habitats were destroyed. Increase in Population - Due to the increase in population, there has been a need for more food. Because of this, a major part of the land is being cultivated for food. Even forests have been cut, thus, adding further to land degradation and pollution. Agricultural and Industrial Wastes - Chemicals in pesticides and herbicides used in agriculture as well as poisonous substances left behind by industries, particularly mining, have polluted the land to a great extent. Technological Waste - Computer parts and other worn out, old machines have added to the land pollution. Domestic Wastes - These are caused by foods, plastics, paper and other left overs from a household. The amount of such a waste is huge and thus, is a major contributor to land pollution. You may further go to causes and effects of land pollution. Prevention

Disposal of Wastes Proper waste management is the most important thing to do for the prevention of land pollution. Several steps should be taken to ensure that the waste gets disposed in the most harmless way, i.e.

produces less or no toxins. One of the ways of doing this is by separating dry and wet waste. Dry waste should be recycled or it can be burned. On the other hand, wet waste should be decomposed. This decomposed waste should be further dumped in pits so that it can be converted into compost and used for agriculture. When disposing of waste, the authorities should treat it with various kinds of chemicals, so that it has a very low level of toxicity.

Recycling and Reuse People should buy and use products that have been recycled. For instance, plastic bags should be given up, instead, jute bags should be used. Reusing old items is another good way to reduce the stress on various resources. Clothes, paper, glass, everything should be recycled and reused, as far as possible.

Biodegradable Products People should buy biodegradable products. Go organic - that's the mantra for avoiding land pollution. Organic farming, lessening the use of pesticides, buying organic fruits and vegetables and other products, will keep land pollution in check.

Grow More Trees Initiative should be taken to grow more trees. Researches show that trees can actually fertilize the soil. This means that by growing trees, soil will become fertile, agriculture will get boosted and land pollution will greatly reduce.

Efficient Use of Resources There should be minimal wastage. There should be no littering. Oil and petrol should be used judiciously. So should all the other products and resources made from glass, plastic, metal and paper.

Both individuals and authorities have to make positive changes in the way they conduct things. Spreading awareness amongst the common people, to use organic, biodegradable products and to efficiently use resources, should be taken up seriously by the government. The industries too should follow proper procedures of industrial waste disposal. In addition to this, trees should be saved and more plants should be grown. All these initiatives are mandatory for any project on the prevention of land pollution, to be successful.

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