Soil pollution is a major environmental issue which should be taken more seriously.

Since the initial phase of civilization, humans are modifying the surroundings based on their needs, which has obvious harmful consequences on mother nature. And soil, being an important component of environment, has been getting highly polluted over the years. Soil pollution means the degradation of soil caused by the presence of various toxic substances in it. This is a dreadful threat to the ecosystem as well as humans, plants, animals, climate, water, food and more.

Here are some causes of soil pollution:

Industrial Activities: The industrial sectors release a huge amount of waste products, especially chemicals, which get discharged to the soil without being filtered. These waste stay on the surface of the soil, leaving it hugely polluted. Also, several industries take water, minerals and more excessively from the Earth, which end up ruining the natural quality of soil. Amongst all the industrial sectors, petroleum industry contributes the most to the global soil pollution.

Agriculture: The farmers from all around the world use pesticides and fertilizers in the land to produce more food in a shorter time. But these are filled with toxins that get mixed up with the soil and kill all its microorganisms. Also, the unfiltered wastewater used for irrigation ruins the natural composition of soil and destroys its fertility. So, the farmers should utilize organic products instead of such chemicals.

Deforestation: Deforestation is an extremely vital reason behind the growing soil pollution. As we cut trees, the soil gets exposed to various toxic substances present in the air. Also, the groundwater levels get decreased due to deforestation, leaving the soil dry. All these further cause soil erosions. This is the reason why the number of floods and landslides ensue are increasing day by day.

Waste Disposal: As previously mentioned, industrial waste cause severe soil pollution across the globe. Also, sewage discharge, oil dumping, vehicle emissions etc. release a large amount of waste which get released to the soil directly. These wastes contain various harmful chemicals such as pesticides, solvents, lead, petroleum hydrocarbons etc. that ruin the overall quality of soil. Also, the plastic waste release numerous toxic elements which kill the microorganisms living in the soil.

Acid Rain: Acid rain alters the overall structure of soil in a very negative sense. It decreases the pH levels of the soil. As a result, a lot of microbes living in soil get killed. The hydronium ions of acid rain release toxic substances that get mixed with the soil. On the other hand, it washes away some minerals from the soil. All of these contribute to a severe soil pollution.

As the condition is getting worse every passing day, it's high time we should figure out some methods to reduce soil pollution.