By Sydney Cohen
When people hear the term pollution, they often think of pollution in our air and water. However, land pollution is an incredibly pressing issue as all forms of pollution work together to contribute to the high levels of air, land, and water pollution around the world today.
Land pollution can be caused by many different things, such as dumping garbage or chemicals on land, runoff from roads and agricultural fields, oil spills in our oceans or rivers, etc.
The effects of land pollution include water contamination, biodiversity loss, loss of natural habitat for plants and animals, destruction of ecosystems like coral reefs which are so important to marine life and coastal economies.
Land pollution has a huge impact on our environment and it is important that we do something about it now before it continues to worsen.
If you’d like to know more about this topic that is so important for our world and environmental health, keep reading!
What is Land Pollution?
Land pollution refers to “the deterioration of the earth’s land surfaces, at and below ground level.” It is one of three main types of pollution that drastically affect human health.
Air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution not only affect human health but have incredibly harmful effects on the environment as well.
All of these forms of pollution affect our soil, drinking water, land use, and our natural environment. In addition, remember that humans can not be healthy whilst living in a polluted environment.
Solid waste and liquid waste materials, that accumulate on the earth’s surface and contaminate groundwater and soil around the world, cause land pollution.
Additionally, the permeability of the soil, or rather, how easily soil can absorb materials, is a major factor in levels of land pollution.
A soil that is highly permeable is much more vulnerable to absorbing pollutants such as toxic chemicals, hazardous waste, plastic, trash, oil, sewage, pesticides, and other harmful contaminants.
Common Causes of Land Pollution
There are many causes of land pollution. Man-made, natural, and accidental sources all contribute to this major problem.
Land Pollution Caused by Litter
The first cause of land pollution is litter. Litter can be both intentionally dumped or accidental such as items that fall off of the backs of trucks or vehicles.
Either way, litter is incredibly harmful to our soil and water, as it releases chemicals and microparticles as it degrades.
Land Pollution Caused by Urbanization
Urbanization and construction are also some of the main causes of land pollution. Large amounts of people living, producing trash, and littering are common in urbanized areas, and this inevitably leads to higher amounts of land pollution.
Construction also results from urbanization to accommodate increasing populations, and this often results in large waste materials like metal, wood, plastic, and bricks. Without proper disposal of these materials, the environmental effects can be harmful.
Land Pollution Caused by Mining
Another common cause of land pollution is mining. Mining extracts minerals and other geological materials from the ground, which have many uses but are most commonly used in the production of gasoline and generating electricity.
However, the methods used for extraction and the extraction itself deplete the earth’s natural resources and often cause pollution and damage.
Land Pollution Caused by Agriculture
A fourth common cause of land pollution is agriculture. Pollutants, such as chemicals, pesticides, bacteria, and waste, from growing food crops and raising livestock on agricultural farms cause harmful contamination of both our water and soil.
Examples of Land Pollution
An example of land pollution resulting from sewage and waste disposal sites takes place in Pakistan. Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Both of these cities dump untreated sewage and wastewater into the Korang and Soan rivers.
The lack of sewage treatment plants in these Pakistani cities have been a violation of the law and has contributed to much water and land pollution as the soil absorbs much of the pollutants released into the rivers.
This pollution has incredibly harmful environmental and human effects, causing many illnesses, and diseases for both wildlife and people. This is just one example of millions from around our world!
Human activities, such as littering, are also a major cause of land pollution in Bangladesh. The incredibly high amounts of litter are a result of high rates of urbanization, as it is inevitable that larger populations create larger amounts of garbage and waste.
As previously explained, litter releases chemicals and microparticles into our soil and water as it breaks down.
The Effects of Land Pollution
Land pollution has many harmful effects on the environment, air pollution, human quality of life, fish, plants, and animals, and all ecosystems across the world.
Due to the connectivity between our land, water, and air, land pollution affects many aspects of human and environmental life and contributes to these other forms of pollution.
Some of the main effects of land pollution include:
- undrinkable and unusable water
- soil erosion and pollution, which diminishes fertile land for agriculture
- climate change, which is an incredibly pressing issue affecting world health, and resulting in irregular rainfalls and flash floods
- endangerment and extinction of plants, animals, and other wildlife
- changing habitats, which forces much wildlife to flee their natural habitats for survival
- increased wildfires, as a result of polluted land areas frequently becoming dry
- increased air pollution, caused by burning waste
As previously stated, many of these effects of land pollution result from both intentional and accidental origins.
In the list above, you can see that land pollution can cause many different problems, such as air and water contamination, the extinction of animals and plants, and soil degradation which in turn affects agricultural industries and wildlife.
How Can We Prevent Land Pollution?
Land pollution is a major issue in our society, and it affects us all. The land around our homes could be contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals that can cause everything from respiratory problems to cancer.
Taking Responsibility To Prevent Land Pollution
There are many ways to reduce the number of pollutants entering the ground. One way is by choosing organic foods over those that have been treated with pesticides and fertilizers.
Another way is to manage your lawn responsibly; leaving grass clippings on the ground lets them biodegrade into soil-enriching compost, which will reduce chemical levels in the soil near your home!
Land pollution is an issue that affects us all. With an ever increasing population, more land is being used for housing, development and agriculture.
There is no denying the impact that humans are having on our environment. We pollute land, air and water on a regular basis, with little regard for future generations.
In order to maintain the health of our Earth, we must all take action and personal responsibility. We, humans, have caused major damage to the Earth’s vital resources, so we must make efforts to repair what we have done.
* Featured image source
