Land pollution is a term for any of various substances that are harmful to the land. Land pollutants can include pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. These chemicals have been shown to disrupt natural processes in soil and water, which causes damage at all levels of an ecosystem. Of course, there are also less obvious causes of land pollution such as littering or improperly disposing of hazardous waste materials. All these causes lead to negative effects on the environment and human health through different pathways including air, water and food contamination. The long-term consequences of land pollution can be severe; it’s not just about what you see in today’s world but how it will affect future generations if we don’t take action now! There is no way to overlook the causes of land pollution since there is no way to prevent it at this point in time. The negative effects on our environment are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take action to diminish it. While most causes of land pollution are unintentional, many times they are easily preventable if people are more aware or educated about what causes land pollution and how it affects us.

What are the causes of land pollution?

The causes of land pollution mainly come from farming processes such as deforestation, mining, fuel spills in water sources, improper disposal of chemicals/wastes in landfills and littering along with many other causes. All these activities have a very large impact on human health due to air contamination that leads to respiratory issues and water contamination which leads to illnesses and diseases including serious ones like cholera.

The role of Agriculture in land pollution

Farming is a very productive way to grow crops, but it also causes land degradation and land erosion which causes the soil to become infertile for growing needs. Deforestation directly contributes to land erosion through removal of organic material which causes runoff that causes damage to water sources. Most farmers will fertilize their farmlands with chemical fertilizers which causes air pollution in neighbouring areas, especially agricultural communities due to overusing this method of farming.  These causes of land pollution have been more prevalent in areas that have been over-farmed and where the soil has been eroded from being overworked. This causes more chemicals and pollutants to seep into the soil which causes land pollution because these chemicals are harmful to humans, animals and plants.

Effects of Mining on land pollution

The mining industry causes land pollution by removing minerals from the ground in order to harvest them for the production of various products. This process requires digging deep holes or tunnels underground which causes land degradation through topsoil loss. Mining companies will also store waste material at mining sites causing air, water and soil contamination eventually affecting all living organisms within that area eventually leading to death if enough contamination occurs.  Fuel spills also cause major issues with land pollution since fuel dissolves in water naturally because of its chemical composition that causes different types of damage including polluting farmlands used for irrigation purposes as well as contaminating water sources.

Industrial activites

One of the first things that comes to everyones mind when the topic of pollution comes up, and it is no surprise it is one of the causes of land pollution as well. Industry causes land pollution through illegal dumping of hazardous wastes, air pollution around industrial plants and chemical spills. All this causes damage to the environment and human health by contaminating water sources which cause illnesses like cholera, air contaminants like carbon monoxide causes respiratory diseases/illnesses and other pollutants cause cancers among many others.

Landfills 

Landfills are a major causes of land pollution that causes environmental damages. The dumping of waste materials causes health problems for people living near landfills because the landfill causes water, soil and air pollution.Landfills are found all over the world, but are primarily found in low-income areas. Because land expenditures are expensive, these communities are more likely to find landfills near them for disposal of waste materials since there is no other option available due to lack of funds. This causes water sources to become contaminated with chemicals from waste materials that causes illnesses like cholera which could be fatal if not treated immediately.  With high population density in these areas, it is easy for infectious diseases to spread quickly which causes death rates to rise.

Construction

Construction causes land pollution in many ways, due to the use of construction waste materials. Construction causes soil contamination by damaging the topsoil layer, but also causes causes air pollutants like dust and aerosolsols to be emitted around construction sites.  Construction causes air pollution due to the vehicles and equipment used at construction sites emitting pollutants into the air such as carbon dioxide, methane, sulphur dioxide and others, which causes respiratory problems among the workers at construction sites and people living around active construction sites. Water quality is also affected by land pollution by contamination of water sources from chemicals used in construction like pluming materials and other construction related wastes like paints and solvents that causes cancers and skin diseases if improperly treated or disposed.

Littering 

When items that are not biodegradable pile up on the ground, they are polluting the environment and causing a public eyesore. This causes land pollution through creating landfills because of the non-biodegradable waste materials, but also causes safety hazards since these objects could cause accidents if they were to be mixed with other recyclables or if children got a hold of them. Littering also causes air pollution from improperly disposed cigarette butts. Metals from cigarette filters leach into water sources when rain washes them away which causes soil contamination. Cigarette filters have been known to take around 10 years or more to decompose which causes land pollution with constant littering of cigarette butts.

Urbanization 

When cities grow rapidly due to an influx of people moving in which causes overcrowding that causes a strain on the cities resources. Urbanization increases land use, and works through the accumulation of the already listed causes of pollution (littering, construction, landfills), but it also causes noise pollution from construction, traffic and other sources close to residential areas which causes hearing problems. Noise levels above 70-85 decibels causes gradual hearing loss over time. Decibel levels like this are commonly found around construction sites and public roads with heavy traffic load where there are no barriers between streets and homes that causes noise pollution near residential areas. 

Ways to reduce land pollution

Prevention of land pollution is the best way to reduce the effects of the causes of land pollution since it causes a huge strain on resources and causes a lot of damage to the environment. 

Landfill owners should keep records of all disposal, leachate report which shows how much water supplies have been contaminated from their landfill site, as well as preventive measures taken place at their sites such as methane gas control systems installed or other controls for air pollution since leaching causes air pollutants around the area.Leachate ponds should be regularly emptied during dry seasons (preferably twice a year) and treated before discharge to avoid contaminating natural bodies of water. These leachates can also be recycled for re-use instead of being released into the environment. The record keeping and preventive measures help reduce land pollution since all causes of land pollution can be properly managed and handled if the records show what causes land pollution and how to prevent it. 

Reducing causes of land pollution regarding construction is important because all causes of land pollution related to construction wastes are managed if proper planning is done before building occurs. All water sources should be protected by fencing that prevents entry into construction areas, topsoil layers can be protected by preventing any unnecessary damage during building, use of alternative non-hazardous/non-toxic materials for constructions whenever possible, as well as renewable energy like solar energy for lighting around the construction site which reduces air pollutants from electricity consumption. 

Using public transportation instead of private vehicles causes land pollution through stress on roads, causes air pollution through CO2 emissions from gasoline engines in cars causes air pollution, so using renewable energy for mass transportation is an option. Using low emission vehicles causes less air pollution since they have lower levels of toxic emissions compared to standard combustion style vehicles so using clean emission vehicles reduces air pollutants more than traditional models. Cleaner fuel causes less emissions during burning so powering all equipment with renewable resources like solar energy would cause cleaner power consumption while reducing construction wastes.

Land pollution causes a huge strain on resources and a lot of damage to the environment, but there are ways to prevent land pollution by reducing causes of land pollution, taking preventive measures during construction and disposing litter properly. Disposing all types of waste that causes land pollution is the best way to reduce land pollution since it reduces contamination that causes harmful effects on the environment. Land pollutants should also be regularly monitored at their sites for record-keeping purposes to monitor potential problems if they happen. Authorities should put up environmental protection warning signs around contaminated areas where hazardous waste was dumped or found in order to warn any passersby from coming into contact with these potentially dangerous materials.

Keeping the environment clean by disposing litter properly reduces noise and eye-sores caused by litter if it wasn’t properly disposed so keeping areas free of litter causes a cleaner and better environment for everyones enjoyment. 

FAQ

What are the 10 causes of land pollution?

The main causes of land pollution are Deforestation, Agriculture, Industry, Mining, Landfills, Construction Activities, Sewage Treatment, Littering, and Urbanization.