Soil pollution is defined as changes in soil quality caused by human activity. Major causes include agricultural practices, radioactive materials, and biological agents. Agricultural practices like use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can degrade soil fertility over time. Radioactive materials from nuclear power plants and testing can contaminate soils. Biological pollutants from human and animal waste spread diseases if sanitation is faulty. Effects of soil pollution include ecological impacts, soil- and water-borne diseases, and reduced soil fertility from industrial and urban pollutants. Methods to reduce pollution include proper waste management, reducing use of chemicals in agriculture, and preventing soil erosion.

2. DEFINITION
SOIL POLLUTION IS DEFINED AS THE CHANGE IN
PHYSICAL , CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL
CONDITIONS OF THE SOIL THROUGH MAN’S
INTERVENTION RESULTING REDUCTION IN QUALITY.

3. CAUSES
• By Agricultural Practice
• By Radioactive Materials
• By biological agents

4. By Agricultural Practice
• WASTES LIKE LEAVES ,GRASS...
• CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS LIKE PESTICIDES, INSECTICIDES FOR
AGRICULTURAL PURPOSE DEGRADES SOIL FERTILITY.
• CHEMICALS LIKE LEAD,MERCURY,ARSENIC ETC.ACCUMULATE
IN THE SOIL PERMANENTLY.

5. BY RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
• NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, NUCLEAR TESTING, AND
EXPLOSION ADD VARIABLE AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVE
MATERIALS TO SOIL.

6. • BIOLOGICAL ORGANISM FROM HUMAN AND ANIMAL
EXCRETA.
• FAULTY SANITATION, WASTE WATER DISPOSED
ETC.INCLUDES LAND AS WELL AS SOIL POLLUTION.
• THESE ALSO SPREAD VARIOUS DISEASES.

7. Causes of soil pollution
o Excess application of
Pesticides ………..→
o Excess use and disposal
Of plastic and polythene
Wastes……….→

8. Industrial sewage
Solid waste sewage

9. NATURE OF POLLUTANTS OF SOIL
SOURCE GASES COLLOIDS SUSPENDED
PARTICLES
DISSOLVED
CATIONS
DISSOLVED ANIONS
SOIL CO2 CLAY,Fe2O3,
Al2O3,MnO2
CLAY SAND SLIT Na+, K+, Ca2+ ,
Mg2+,Mn2+,Co2+,F
e3+
Co3²-,
HCO3-,OH-,Cl-,SO4²-
,F,HSO3-
DECOMPOSED
ORGANIC MATTER
SO2,H2,
NH3,CH4,
CO2
ORGANIC WASTE
MATERIAL
HUMAN ORGANIC
WASTES
H+, Na+,
NH+4
ORGANIC RADICLES
NO3-,NO2-,
SO4²-,Cl-
SOIL ORGANISMS - ALGAE,FUNGI,BACTER
IA,PROTOZOA,VIRUSE
S ETC
ALGAE,BACTERIA - -

10. SOURCES OF SOIL POLLUTION
• INDUSTIAL WASTE
• URBAN WASTE
• RADIOACTIVE POLLUTANTS
• AGRICUTURAL PRACTICES
• CHEMICAL AND METALLIC POLLUTANT
• BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

11. BY INDUSTRIAL WASTES
• DISCHARGE OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF TOXIC,FLAMMABLE,NON-BIODEGRADABLE
SUBSTANCESON LAND RESULTS IN SOIL POLLUTION.
• THESE INDUSTRIAL WASTES ARE DISCHARGED FROM
PULP AND PAPER MILLS
CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES
OIL REFINERIES
SUGAR FACTORIES
STEEL INDUSTRIS…

12. BY URBAN WASTES
• URBAN WASTE COMPRISE BOTH COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTE
CONSIST OF DRIED SLUDGE OF SEWAGE.
• ALL THE URBAN SOLID WASTES ARE COMMONLY REFFERED TO AS
REFUSE.
• THIS REFUSE CONTAINS
PLASTICS ,GLASSES,METALLIC CANS,FIBERS,PAPER,FUEL RESIDUES ETC.
• POLLUTION CONCENTRATION IN URBAN AREAS AND UNPLANNED
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS ARE CONTRIBUTING HIGH AMOUNT OF SOIL
POLLUTION

13. BY RADIOACTIVE POLLUTANTS
• RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ARE
RADIUM ,THORIUM,URANIUM,CARBON,ROCK WATER AND AIR
• THE PRODUCT OF NUECLEAR FISSION ,RAIN WATER TO BE
DEPOSITED ON THE SOIL EMIT GAMMA RADIATION

14. BY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
• Advanced agro-technology, huge quantity of fertilizers, pesticides and soil
conditioning agents are the major agricultural cause for soil pollution.
• Farm waste debris ,soil erosion containing mostly inorganic chemicals are responsible
for soil pollution.
• Types of agents
Fertilizers
Pesticides
Soil conditioners and other chemical agents
Farm wastes

15. BY CHEMICAL AND METALLIC POLLUTANTS
• A number of industries including
Textiles, drugs, cement, rubber, paper and metal industries make
hazardous effluents in soil and water creating drastic effects on living
organism.
• In many soils 50 to 100% of soil carbon is found complexes with
clay containing organic and inorganic components which effects
soil texture, fertility and stabilization of soil organic matter.

16. BY BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
•The pathogenic organisms that pollute the soil may be
classified into three categories
Pathogenic organisms occurring naturally in contaminated
soil.
Pathogenic organisms excreted by man.
Pathogenic organisms excreted by animals.

17. Other sources
By absorption of toxic metals.
By soluble salts
By mining
By waste water added to soil
By food processing wastes
By solid waste applied to soil

18. CAUSES OF SOIL POLLUTION AND THEIR CONTROL
• Causes are classified into two
1.Direct causes
Poor waste management
Application of agro-chemicals
Faulty sanitation practices
Salination due to irrigation and flood
Soil erosion
2.Indirect causes
Acid rain
Disposed radioactive substances

19. POOR WASTE MANAGEMENT
2.Liquid waste and its control
• Liquid waste includes domestic and industrial waste water
• To control liquid waste pollution, municipal and industrial waste water have to be
properly collected, treated, disposed
1.Solid waste and its control
 REDUCTION ,REUSE, RECYCLING,
REPAIR
 Solid waste includes sewage sludge,
domestic and municipal solid waste,
agricultural solid waste

20. APPLICATION OF AGRO-CHEMICALS
• A variety of agro-chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides
and fertilizers are utilized in modern agricultural practices.
• This chemicals are not degraded quickly.
• Their concentration affects life and health of the men.

21. CONTROL OF AGRO-CHEMICALS
1.BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
a) CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
b) AUGMENTATION
c) INOCULATION
d) INUNDATION
2.MICROBIAL CONTROL OF PESTS
3.INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

22. SOIL EROSION
• Soil erosion is a comprehensive natural process of
detachment an removal of soil martials by water ,wind etc.
• Soil erosion is increased due to agricultural development,
construction, mining activities.
• Soil erosion is a creeping death of soil.
Control of soil erosion

23. ACID RAIN
• Acid rain is due to air pollution of motor vehicles, factory etc..
• It is due acid deposition in air either in dry form or wet form.
• Wet form consists of acidified rain, snow, fog and cloud vapour.
• This also contains some pollutants like no2,so2 etc..

24. RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
• Radioactive rays penetrate the soil ,these substances causing many harmful
effects in body.
• These also cause mutation in the genes of living organism.
• Radioactive substances also have effect soil fertility.
Control
Pollution control legislation
Ecofriendly products
Bio fertilizers
Measures against deforestation
Prevent soil erosion

25. DISPOSEL
• RUN-OFF
AGRICALTURE
TREATMENT
PLANT
STORAGE
TREATMENT
RECOVERY&
RECYCLING
COLLECTION&TRA
NSPORT
NUCLEAR
INDUSTRIAL
DOMESTIC
&COMMERCIAL
SOURCE SYSTEM DISPOSEL SITE
LAND
LAND OR WATTER
BODY
LAND
SEA
LAND
LAND,SEA
GARBAGE

26. Effects of soil pollution
• Ecological changes have a direct impact on living organism .
• The environment has degraded by industrial stress, urbanization, population
density.
• The soil is highly polluted by several pathogenic organism and industrial
effluents.
• Soil pollution is a result of urban technological revolution and exploitation of
natural resources

27. 1.Effect of industrial pollutants
• Industrial waste consist toxins are enter in the food chain causing undesirable
effects .
• Biological purification mechanism cause soil and water borne diseases.
• Destroy micro organisms.
• Soluble salt responsible for cost damage.
• Metallic contaminants destroy bacteria and other organisms in the soil.

28. 2.Effect of urban waste products
• In India million tonnes of waste is dumped along highway and other places. These
wastes spread several chronic diseases.
• The waste including building materials, sludge, dead animal skeletons, and thrown away
garbage pile up at public places and cause obstruction in daily life.
• Sewage is good medium for the growth of pathogenic bacteria, viruses etc..
• The use of polluted ground water containing human excreta, sewage sludge decrease
soil fertility by killing micro organisms.

29. 3.Effect of radioactive pollutants
• Radioactive pollutants can produce great human misery when food
containing radionuclides is taken by man, some of them concentrate
in specific body organ and cause undesirable diseases.
• Radiation actually affects the soil and soil fertility . These radiation
kill plant species.

30. Effect of modern agro-technology
•Effects of fertilizers
• Potassium fertilizers in soil decrease the valuable nutrient
• Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers in land leads to
accumulation of nitrate in the soil .
• Phosphate fertilizer is considered detrimental to crop
production.

31. Effects of pesticides
• Pesticides retained in soil concentrates in crop, vegetables etc.Which
taint them to such an extent that they are not usable.
• Pesticides like ddt, endrin etc. Are known to seep gradually through
soil into ground water and contaminate drinking water supplies.
• Oregano phosphates pesticides cause extreme muscular
weakness, tremors and dizziness in poisoned animals.

33. Methods to Minimize Soil Pollution
The problem of soil pollution can be minimized to some extent by adopting the
following techniques ;
 Separate garbage bins can be used to collect defferent varieties of wastes for
recycling purposes.
 Paper should not be mixed with glass or plastic which are difficult to recycle.
 Encouraging the people by ways of subsiding the waste.
 Tax-exemptions are also beneficial to enhance recycling of wastes.
 making use of recycled paper instead of fresh ones.For example,local
administrative offices in japan use recycled paper to initiate reuse of waste.

34.  By reducing the creation of waste recovering ,recycling and
reusing potential wastes ,the amounts of waste can be reduced
effectively.
 An autonomous waste management institute should be
established . The institute could advice the government on
policy issues and evolve strategies for reducing waste ,
protecting the water and soil.
 Extending the market support for recoverable products
through fiscal concessions.

35.  A national policy needs to be evolved on the management of toxic
wastes . It should aim at reducing the volume of wastes , utilizing
it for manufacturing recycled products to generate resources ,
treating and disposing the remaining waste in an environmentally
friendly manner.
 Common treatment and disposal facilities , where municipal
effluent plant is not available .
 ECO friendly schemes and technologies should be welcomed.

36. Diseases Caused by Soil Pollution
Soil flora and fauna make the biological system of soil complex.
Some organisms also help in maintenance of soil fertility while
majority of micro organisms act as chronic pollutants.
Soil has been a potential carrier of microbial growth , non-
biodegradable matters and pathogens which endanger human
health and life.

37.  Pathogenic soil bacteria are (chronic disease carriers) transmitted
from man to soil or vice versa causing cholera , typhoid etc.
 Pathogenic soil bacterial mycobacterium, Leptospira etc. are
causes of infection of amoebic dysentery, cholera, polio, hepatitis
etc.
 The eggs of parasitic worms helminthes get incubated in the soil ,
and causes intestinal hook worm diseases .
Common viruses (polio ,hepatitis) present in sewage added to soil
are causes of paralysis.

38.  Some of the animals diseases are transmissible to man and
soil . Leptospirosis , Anthrax and fever are some of diseases
belonging to this category .
 Fungus generally develop in soil or vegetation. They cause
serious subcantaneous and systemic mycoses.
 Algae poison is considered to be the most virulent poison
which produces cirrhosis of liver

39. Soil provides the best medium for the growth of eggs ,larvae
and flies etc. Many important tropical diseases (like malaria,
filariases)have blood sucking flies as vectors; while
schistomiases is transmitted by snails. some diseases associated
with pathogens present in water and soil are shown below;
Pathogen Diseases
1. Salmonella choleraesuis
2. Lice
3. Hook worm
4. Mosquitoes
5. Anopheles mosquito
Chronic fever
Typhus
Skin diseases
Urban yellow fever
Malaria fever

40. Other Effective Measures to Control Soil
Pollution
 Operation Clean-up.
The Dutch Electricity generating board has begun an ambitious clean up project
which involves replanting thousands of acres of forests in the tropics helping to clear
soil erosion and Eastern Europe’s chocking air . The board has pledged Dollar ($) 300
million more to restore about 1,20,000 hectares over the next 25 years.
According to Marlise Simons in New York Times (1992),this board will immediately
finance a$ 35 million plant to reduce load of sulphur now fired into the air by one of the
antiquated power stations in Poland. This sulphur deposited on soil from air can be
reduced to a great extent by this operation

41.  Natural Band. Grass prized for more than two centuries ,because it forms a neat
hedge ,has been rediscovered as a power full weapon against soil erosion. In south
India ,even on steep slopes ,hedges of vetiver grass trap silt and prevent it from
washing away . Planted along contours and left alone , the hedges eventually form
natural terraces which encourage water to sink into the soil rather than flow down
the slope into streams and rivers.
 Recycling trees . In this technology shrinking land fill space and growing concern
about solid waste disposal ,environmentalists in the united states are promoting
recycling for the 36 million Christmas trees sold there each year.
On the Texas gulf coast ,some communities are trying to fight beach erosion by
using piled-up Christmas trees to form the foundation for sand dunes. Civic minded
citizens can even claim their trees as charitable donations for tax reduction.

42.  Utilization of Night soil in India. Water carriage system is provided only for
10% of the population . Majority of the urban and rural community is having dry
conservancy system where the night soil is collected from pail type of lavatory .
Night soil thus collected is disposed of by dumping or trenching causing soil
pollution and spreading chronic diseases .
Recently National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
(NEERT) , Nagpur took a realistic approach to the problem and conducted research
on total utilization of Night soil .