Soil pollution management

1. SOIL
POLUTION
Presenter Name: Nishant Mehla
Presented to : Dr Yuvraj

2. What Is Soil
Pollution?
• Definition
• Soil pollution is defined as the
presence of toxic chemicals
(pollutants or contaminants) in soil,
in high enough concentrations to
pose a risk to human health and/or
the ecosystem. In the case of
contaminants which occur naturally
in soil, even when their levels are
not high enough to pose a risk, soil
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3. Types of
soil
pollution
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RADIATION
CHEMICAL
OIL-SPILL
NOISE POLLUTION

4. Soil Pollution Causes
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5. Natural Pollutants
• Natural processes can lead to an accumulation of toxic chemicals in
the soil. This type of contamination has only been recorded in a few
cases, such as the accumulation of higher levels of perchlorate in soil
from the Atacama Desert in Chile, a type of accumulation which is
purely due to natural processes in arid environments. volcanic dust,
sea salt particles, photochemically formed ozone, and products of
forest fibres, among others.
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6. Man-Made Pollutants
• Man-made contaminants are the main causes of soil
pollution and consist of a large variety of contaminants or
chemicals, both organic and inorganic. They can pollute the soil
either alone or combined with several natural soil contaminants.
Man-made soil pollution is usually caused by the improper
disposal of waste coming from industrial or urban sources,
industrial activities, and agricultural pesticides.
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7. Types of Soil Pollutants
• Soil pollution consists of pollutants and contaminants. The main
pollutants of the soil are the biological agents and some of the
human activities. Soil contaminants are all products of soil
pollutants that contaminate the soil. Human activities that
pollute the soil range from agricultural practices that infest the
crops with pesticide chemicals to urban or industrial wastes or
radioactive emissions that contaminate the soil with various
toxic substances.
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8. Biological Agents
• Biological agents work
inside the soil to introduce
manures and digested
sludge (coming from the
human, bird and animal
excreta) into the soil.
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9. Agricultural Practices
• The soil of the crops is
polluted to a large extent
with pesticides, fertilizers,
herbicides, slurry, debris,
and manure.
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10. Radioactive Pollutants
• Radioactive substances
such as Radium, Thorium,
Uranium, Nitrogen, etc. can
infiltrate the soil and create
toxic effects.
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11. Urban Waste
• Urban waste consists of
garbage and rubbish
materials, dried sludge and
sewage from domestic and
commercial waste.
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12. Industrial Waste
• Steel, pesticides, textiles,
drugs, glass, cement,
petroleum, etc. are
produced by paper mills, oil
refineries, sugar factories,
petroleum industries and
others as such.
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13. Examples of Soil Contaminants
• There is a large variety of pollutants that could poison the soil. Examples
of the most common and problematic soil pollutants can be found below.
• Lead (Pb)
• Potential sources: lead paint, mining, foundry activities, vehicle exhaust,
construction activities, agriculture activities
• Mercury (Hg)
• Potential sources: mining, incineration of coal, alkali and metal processing,
medical waste, olcanoes and geologic deposits, accumulation in plants &
vegetables grown on polluted soils
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14. • Arsenic (As)
• Potential sources: mining, coal-fired power plants, lumber facilities,
electronics industry, foundry activities, agriculture, natural accumulation
• Copper (Cu)
• Potential sources: mining, foundry activities; construction activities
• Zinc (Zn)
• Potential sources: mining; foundry activities; construction activities
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15. • Nickel (Ni)
• Potential sources: mining; foundry activities; construction activities
• PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons)
• Potential sources: coal burning, vehicle emissions, accumulation in plants
& vegetables grown on polluted soils; cigarette smoke; wildfires,
agricultural burning; wood burning, constructions
• Herbicides/Insecticides
• Potential sources: agricultural activities; gardening
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16. The 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
• May release vapours and hydrocarbon into buildings and cellars
• May create toxic dusts
• May poison children playing in the area
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17. Diseases Caused by Soil Pollution
• Humans can be affected by soil pollution through the inhalation of
gases emitted from soils moving upward, or through the inhalation of
matter that is disturbed and transported by the wind because of the
various human activities on the ground. Soil pollution may cause a
variety of health problems starting with headaches, nausea, fatigue,
skin rash, eye irritation and potentially resulting in more serious
conditions like neuromuscular blockage, kidney and liver damage
and various forms of cancer.
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18. Effect of soil pollution on ecosystem
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19. Control of Soil Pollution
• 1. Get a better understanding of the soil environment quality
baseline
• In order to properly control and prevent soil erosion, it is
paramount that every stakeholder understands the baseline of
soil environment quality, which can be done by carrying out
sensitizations and surveys on soil pollution. However, to ensure
consistent results, the technical requirements for the survey
should be formulated including the frequency of when the
survey should be conducted.
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20. • 2. Develop necessary legislation on soil pollution control
• Although efforts are being put in place to ensure soil pollution
control, the process ought to be accelerated by drafting the
necessary legislation. The existing registrations such as urban and
rural planning, agricultural practices, and land management should
be revised and updated to include contemporary soil pollution control
and prevention measures.
• Legislations on pesticide management, contaminated sites
management, and farmland soil management should as well be
updated. Furthermore, measures should be put in place to promote 20

21. 3. Proper management of agricultural land
and the practice of organic farming
• Poor utilization of land is a major concern in the prevention and
control of soil pollution. Agricultural land pollution usually
causes the loss of soil fertility as it involves the loss of organic
matter, topsoil and nutrients, and the soil’s ability to retain water.
In agricultural land management, ideal soil conservation
methods include mechanical and biological control techniques.
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22. 4. Proper Solid Waste Treatment
• It is important to dispose of solid waste properly by treated it
before it’s released into the environment. Acidic and alkaline
waste, for example, can be neutralized before they are
disposed of to avoid soil contamination. Biodegradable waste
should also be broken down in a controlled environment before
it is released into the environment. A great example is the
proper treatment of sewage sludge.
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23. 5. Ensure proper investigation of
reclaimed land
• When dealing with land that is expected to be reclaimed and used
for other purposes such as the construction of residential homes or
social amenities like schools as it is in the case of mining, there is
need to conduct soil investigation and evaluation. The mandate of
testing the contamination levels of such lands should be given to the
city or government unit in charge.
• The results from the test should then be used in establishing
practical management and control measures depending on the
purpose of the land. If the results show the reclaimed land is 23

24. THANK YOU
HOPE YOU LIKED IT
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