Soil is the topmost layer of the earth's crust. Soil enables and sustains life on the planet, without which there would be no living beings on Earth. But recently, due to human greed and irresponsibility, soil pollution has become a dangerous phenomenon, if it is not controlled then it will have a devastating effect on our environment and food cycle in the future.

Today pollution has become a very thoughtful topic to think about. As we all have heard the word “pollution” many times in our daily lives. It is a kind of problem on which we need to work at a global level. Before going towards – what are the causes of soil pollution, and its effects alongside the prevention of soil pollution we will discuss its meaning of it: Pollution is contamination that we human beings spread intentionally or unintentionally in the environment. Pollution affects the ecosystem and brings negative changes. There are many categories of pollution, soil pollution is one of them. So, let’s discuss soil pollution here:

Soil pollution is caused due to contamination in soil because of numerous unnecessary chemical and biological properties of the soil which are created by humans themselves. Soil is one of the main components of human survival – protect it. It is a part of “land degradation”, where the soil environment of a land or place is contaminated or destroyed by human-made chemicals or other natural activities in the soil environment.

Soil like all other forms of Pollution in nature is a growing sense of dread due to its deadly consequences for all living beings in the ecosystem. Man-made materials are the leading cause of Soil Pollution. When any matter is present in quantities larger than the needed amount, then that becomes a potent threat. In trying to grow at a greater pace they are harming the environment. The biggest threat to this problem is the irresponsibility displayed while disposing of any waste as the disposal of chemicals are not naturally present in the Soil so this causes contamination and as the levels increase leads to Pollution. In this essay on Soil Pollution, let’s understand the causes, effects, and possible solutions.

WHAT CAUSES SOIL POLLUTION?

Soil Pollution is characterized by chemicals, salts, poisonous compounds, and radioactive contaminants that stay in the Soil and have negative impacts on animal health and plant growth. Pollution of Soil can occur in a variety of ways. These are the following:

a.)Industrial garbage is dumped on the Earth's surface.

b.) landfill seeps water.

c.)Underground storage tanks are bursting.

d.)Contaminated water seeps into the ground.

e.)Seepage of solid waste.

f.)Heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents, and insecticides are examples of chemicals.

SOIL POLLUTION CAUSES

A Soil pollutant is a factor that causes Soil to deteriorate owing to a reduction in the texture, mineral, or quality content of the Soil. This also disrupts the biological equilibrium of Soil-dependent organisms. Furthermore, Soil Pollution has negative consequences for plant growth. Soil contamination is usually produced by man-made applications such as contaminated surface water percolation, pesticides, fuel dumping, oil dumping, and so on.

Other operations include the leaching of pollutants from landfills, the direct dumping of industrial wastes into the Soil, and so on. Solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, lead, pesticides, and various heavy metals are among the most prevalent compounds implicated. As a result, the occurrence of the phenomenon is highly correlated with the intensity and industrialization of chemical use.

The following are some of the most common sources of Soil Pollution:

a.)Fertilizer usage is increasing.

b.)Insecticides, herbicides, and pesticides are used indiscriminately.

c.)Solid waste disposal

d.)Deforestation

EFFECTS OF SOIL POLLUTION

As we go about our lives, we disregard the devastating effects of Soil Pollution on the Ecosystem and inevitably our health.

1. When we consume the food grown on such polluted Soil the crop absorbs it and then is passed on to us and leads to fatal diseases over time.

2. Soil loses its fertility and stunts the growth of the plants and when they are harvested the contaminated Soil becomes futile as it is no longer useful for further cultivation as such lands become incompetent to support life and are deserted leaving more space to dump such harmful waste this cyclical nature of cause and effect is deadly.

3. The food that is produced from such lands also lacks good nutrients and thus creates another generation of malnourished children which hinders their natural growth physically and mentally.

4. The underground Soil water when it meets the natural aquatic bodies, does a great deal of damage to aquatic life, both plants that grow underwater and animals.

SOIL POLLUTION'S CONSEQUENCES

Some radioactive pollutants from nuclear reactors, explosions, hospitals, science labs, and other sources penetrate deeply into the Soil, where they linger for a long time and pollute the Soil.

False agricultural practices involving advanced agro-technology entail the use of massive volumes of harmful fertilizers such as herbicides, weedicides, insecticides, and other chemicals, which improve Soil fertility while gradually reducing Soil physiochemical and biological qualities. Other forms of Soil Pollution include municipal rubbish, food processing waste, mining practices, and many others.

Soil Pollution is extremely detrimental to one's health since poisonous substances enter the body through the food chain and disrupt the entire inner body system. Individuals, particularly industrialists, should adopt all effective control measures, including environmental protection regulations, to reduce and minimize Soil Pollution. People should encourage the recycling and reuse of solid waste, as well as the planting of as many trees as possible.

WAYS TO CURB SOIL POLLUTION

The most important step in starting to solve this problem is by creating awareness and informing people about the dire consequences, and how their contribution can do good to the ecosystem and human nature. The possible solutions to these problems are-

1. No excess use of fertilizers, and other chemicals used. As these are useful only in required quantities and when overdone leads to damage so one can avoid overuse of harmful substances containing chemicals.

2. Encouraging afforestation i.e., the planting of trees as the more trees are planted the Erosion of Soil will be less and this will help in retaining the useful chemicals in the Soil and hence increasing the fertility of the Soil as well.

3. Recycling and reusing waste materials will help a great deal and lessen the harm to a greater degree.

4. Governments and stakeholders should implement strong laws and policies to prevent soil pollution from happening further.

CONCLUSION

Nature always gives its feedback. ‘‘As you sow, so shall you reap.’’ If you are giving your efforts to make this nature beautiful, you will find it beautiful. But if you are playing with it and making it hell, then be prepared to tolerate its hazardous 

As the saying goes prevention is better than cure, it is better to take steps in creating a safer environment instead of regretting later. Kenya being agricultural land, we can take steps to organize programs and educate the farmers and other locals to use natural manure, and make them aware of the problems caused by chemicals used. Indeed, let us join the revolution, avoid retaliation, and take a pledge to stop pollution.