Name: ANNIE M.

AISA Date: 06/28/21

Course & Year: BSEE - 1C
LESSON 3.3 LAND POLLUTION EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Scientifically speaking, land pollution occurs when the anthropogenic effect of development
adversely affects the quality of land. In simpler words, land pollution refers to the deterioration of the
earth’s land surfaces, at and below ground level, due to its misuse by humans.
Common human activities that cause land pollution are:

 Deforestation
 Mining
 Dumping of industrial wastes forming these huge landfills
 Use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural
activities
 Sewage treatment
 Littering and others.

Land Pollution has emerged to become one of the serious concerns that we collectively battle. It has led to
a series of issues that we have come to realize just in recent times after decades of negligence.
EFFECTS OF LAND POLLUTION ON ENVIRONMENT:
1. Loss of Fertile Land
The overuse of chemical fertilizers with soil erosion triggered by running
water and other pest control measures, damage or alter the upper layer of the
soil or the topsoil’s composition,
 - leading to loss of fertile land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder patches for grazing,
etc.
- There has been an alarming ratio between the loss of these fertile land and the
regeneration of soil because regeneration process takes at least 500 years for just a
2.5-centimeter topsoil, where as a soil can be lost overnight.

- Here you can see a figure of how soils become unfertile. When a
soil is polluted, plus the running water causing soil erosion, the
top soil is damaged and is tore away from the soil leaving an
unfertile soil which is not good for the plants to nourish.

2. Desertification

- The loss of soil productivity by erosion of top soil results in the

formation of deserts, in which fertile areas become increasingly
arid.

- Actually, many deserts in the world are man-made deserts. An example is

the Aralkum desert in Uzbekistan. This desert was created entirely due to
man-made disturbances. These area was overloaded with toxic sand and
pollutants from pesticides and eroding ships. Fun fact, this area of
desertification is so large that it can be seen from space. \

3. Increased Water pollution

- when land is polluted, there is also a greater risk for an increased in water pollution as pollutants do
infiltrate and travel to water systems.
a. Groundwater Poisoning - when harmful substances from
industrial processes are improperly disposed of on the land or
in illegal landfills, the chemicals and other substances could
end up in the groundwater system. The process is called
leaching.

To further understand, let’s look closely at this

illustration. When it rains, water picks up these
pollutants that are on the surface and buried
underground. As this water soaks into the ground,
it can carry pollution into our groundwater
supplies. Spread across an entire landscape, these
sources of pollution from our land add up
overtime to make the groundwater so polluted that it require special treatment. It can happen
 on farms, industrial sites, and landfills and affect the health of animals, plants and also
humans.

b. Drinking Water Problem - As we all know, our drinking water comes from natural sources
that are either groundwater or surface water, and as mentioned earlier, these pollutants in
land can travel to those surface water bodies or down to our groundwater systems.
When this happens, as you can see here, the yellow and red ones are the pollutants, if we pump the

water from the wells, it creates suction like a vacuum cleaner, which can pull nearby pollution into the
well, affecting the potability of the water. If contamination is discovered in a well, the water should be
pumped and treated until it is safe to drink.
c. Eutrophication - chemicals that are frequently used on agricultural farms,
such as nitrogen, end up benefitting the crops only in a small proportion. The
rest ends up in water bodies through leaching or runoff leading to the
overproduction of algae affecting
the water quality and the
organisms living in it.

4. Increased Air Pollution

- Landfills across the city keep on growing due to an increase in waste. They even become home
for rodents, mice, etc. which transmit diseases. These industrial wastes in landfills are later
burned which releases carbon dioxide, furines, dioxins, mercury, CFCs, PCBs and other harmful
chemicals unto the atmosphere leading to an increase in air pollution. A factor that contributes as
well to our next effect, the change in climate patterns.
5. Change in Climate Patterns

- When land is polluted, it directly or indirectly affects the climate patterns. For example,
when deforestation is committed (which is one of the main causes of land pollution), the
tree cover and plants are compromised subjecting us to various concerns such as Global
warming.

- Without the trees and plants, there will be more

likely an imbalance in the ratio of oxygen and carbon
dioxide as well as with those harmful and toxic gases
released by the pollutants which contributes to the
rise in global’s temperature leading to global
warming.

- It is then directly related to this steep imbalance in the rain

cycle, causing irregular rainfall and irregular flashfloods.
These flashfloods are even worsen by garbage piling up
and blocking drainage systems, making it hard for the
water to flow out.

6. Wildfires

- Forest fires are actually considered as just a natural process in the forest
ecosystems, but with land pollution, pollutants in the soil create severely dry
conditions which makes the area a perfect environment for fires to grow
quickly thereby harming the whole environment and killing plants, animals
and even humans.
7. Effects on Wildlife
- The animal kingdom has suffered most in the past decades. They face a serious threat with regard
to the loss of habitat and natural environment.
a. Habitat shifting - When deforestation and soil erosion are in progress, animals are
forced to move from their natural habitat to find shelter and food. The change is too
traumatic for some animals that they may even encounter death. In my left, you can
see an article that says “More than 1,000 species have been moved due to human
impact”

b. Species Extinction - When wildlife species

move further away from their original habitats, and are forced to adapt to these new
regions, some animals die trying to adjust or during the adjustment period, pushing
them to the
verge of
extinction.

c. Biomagnification - Discharge of chemicals on land, makes it dangerous for the

ecosystem. These chemicals and toxins from pesticides for example are consumed by
the animals and plants making their way up in the ecosystem. This is also referred to
as Bio-amplification, because the substance’s concentration increases progressively
as it moves up in the food chain, which is why, it also a serious threat to the ecology.
Given these disastrous effects of land pollution, taking preventive measures is crucial. Let us understand
our actions before Mother Earth gives up, because in this case, ignorance is not a bliss.