Project Report: Land Pollution

1
Headings:
➢ Title

➢ Acknowledgement

➢ Contents

➢ Introduction

➢ Literature Review

➢ Objective

➢ Mythology

➢ Result

➢ Discussion

Bibliography

2
Land Pollution: It is the degradation/destruction of the land. It
can occurs either naturally or a result of human activities such as
industry development, agricultural development, coal mining,
deforestation and overcrowded landfills

Project Report submitted

By
PRIYANSHU
Enrollment No. SKP212K0042
Course Name: Environment Issues and
challenges (EIC)
Programme Name: B.A in Law and
Politics (BA-LP)
Under Supervision

Of

Dr. Pinki Purkayastha

3
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Under the prescribed syllabus of B.A in Law and Politics (3rd Semester) were a field visit on
Land Pollution under the course of Environment Issues and Challenges to explore the
knowledge on environment and its relationship with human beings.

It was our great pleasure to visit my locality Mangolpuri and its surrounding area and collect
different primary data. I would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to School of law,
Governance and Citizenship of DR. B. R. AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY DELHI for such an
opportunity to make me familiar with environment.

I would like to thank DR. Pinki Purkayastha for her great help, support, interest and valuable
suggestions. I have furthermore to thank to DR. Pinki Purkayastha for abundant support for the
completion of this report.

PRIYANSHU
DATE: 30/01/2023
STUDENT (BA-LP)

4
DR. B. R. AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY DELHI
Introduction

Land pollution is caused due to accumulation of upper layer of the land from toxic chemicals and
compounds, radioactive material, waste etc. It is one of the dangerous things for human beings.
There are so many human activities that case land pollution. The most common cause of land
pollution is solid waste on land. When, we pour large amount of waste on ground then fertility of
the soil decreases. Sometimes this waste contains plastic and other non-degradable materials.
The second common cause of land pollution is the use of pesticides and fertilizers for agriculture
and release of chemicals also pollutes the land. Improper use of land such as deforestation, over
cropping, unplanned irrigation and urbanization can result land pollution and land degradation.
Proper land use planning, which includes the multiple land uses, is important for sustainable
development. Population growth has led to misuse of land, which can have long-term effects on
environmental quality. Land pollution is also caused by indiscriminate disposal of waste on land.
The solid waste pollutants mix with rainwater and liquid industrial waste are absorbed through
the soil and pollute both the soil as well as ground water.

Fig: Land Pollution

5
Literature Review:

The wastes which produce land pollution are follows:

➢ Solid Waste
Solid waste is produced by human and animal activities and is considered useless under
normal situations. Solid disposal is a complex technical and environmental problem of
large proportions, especially in a modern industrial society. The main categories of solid
waste generation are municipal waste, industrial waste and hazardous waste.
Improper disposal of solid waste threatens public health. Rodents and insects sustain by
this waste, act as vectors of disease. In addition, some chemical and industrial wastes are
highly toxic or poisonous or flammable or radioactive or possess more than one of these
undesirable properties. Further, improper disposal of such waste causes serious
environmental pollution in terrestrial or aquatic eco-systems.

1) Municipal Wastes: Solid wastes from different city zones are generated that will
be differing in their characteristics. These solid wastes comprise refuse, ordinary
refuse (including garbage and rubbish) and trash. Refuse refers non-hazardous
solid waste from community that must be collected and transported to processing
and disposal site. Garbage comprises of items that are highly decomposable food
waste (vegetables, meat scraps, while rubbish contains mostly dry, non-
decomposable materials (glass, rubber, tin cans) also or combustible material
(paper, textile, wooden articles etc.). Trash is made by bulky waste material that
generally requires special handling; it may not be needed to be collected on
routine bases. Trash includes articles like an old couch, mattress, television,
refrigerator, large uprooted trees stumps etc. it should now be clear that the
municipal waste is approximately called Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).

6
 Fig: Municipal Waste

2) Industrial waste: Industrial waste generated by industrial activities or

manufacturing processes. Depending upon the raw material and manufacturing
process, all the three type of solid, liquid gaseous are generated. Industrial waste
can be categorized as hazardous and non-hazardous

3) Hazardous waste: There is no precise definition for a hazardous substance, but it

is anything which because of its quality, concentration or characteristics may
contribute to increased morality, illness or hazard to human health and
environment if not property stored, any transported of disposed off.
7
 Hazardous wastes are generated in very limited amounts at different stages of the
concerned manufacturing processes.
The words hazardous substance and toxic substance are used interchangeably. A
toxic substance is harmful or fatal if ingested or absorbed. Thus, the word also
includes poisonous substances. A list of industries using hazardous processes is
contained in the Factories Act, 1948, as amended by Act no. 20 of 1987. The full
list includes a large number of industries; some of the more important of which
are listed below:
a) Ferrous, non-ferrous industries
b) Foundries
c) Fertilizers industries,
d) Cement industries,
e) Petroleum industries,
f) Chemical industries,
g) Dyes and Dyestuff

Similarly, a list of hazardous and toxic chemicals is prepared by the Ministry of

Environment and Forests, Government of India.
The solid wastes containing radioactive substances from nuclear power plants are of
special concern. Because of the technical complexity involved, disposal of radioactive
waste is extremely important.

4) Agricultural Wastes:
The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has significantly increased to
enhance agricultural production, mainly the food grains and vegetables. However,
the over use of fertilizes has created some environmental problems. Pesticides are
resistant to biodegradation and can accumulate to critical levels through bio-
magnification. The concentration of 8-10 ppm DDT was found in an average
citizen against the permissible level of 7ppm. DDT remains in environment for a
very long duration of 10 years. Chlordane, other pesticides, remains in
environment for more than 12 years.

8
So, it is obvious that agricultural wastes can cause a lot of environmental
pollution. The time has to come to use bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides that do
not have harmful environmental effects.
Agricultural wastes also include animal waste from feed lots and live-stock. The
effluent from these sources in the form of slurry is good source of organic
fertilizers. Agricultural waste also includes paddy husk, crop residues etc.

9
Objective:

➢ To find out what are the causes of land pollution around us?
➢ To explore how does land get affected by pollution?
➢ To find out the answer of the question that “Is the government or the public responsible
for land pollution?”
➢ To discover how can we stop land pollution?

10
Methodology

I interviewed people during my field visits and asked them some questions. Like what is land
pollution? Who would you like to hold responsible for land pollution, the public or the
government? How important is awareness for land pollution? Is the government doing anything
to tackle land pollution? What can people do to reduce land pollution? How this land pollution
is harming our environment.

Person 1: He said that there is a need to increase awareness among the people because people
will be aware only then they will pay attention to the solutions that can be done regarding land
pollution. With the increase in awareness, the people of Yoga will know what kind of garbage
should be thrown where. Because people throw many types of garbage like plastic polythene,
putrid material, plastic bags here and there, due to which the drains get blocked, the water comes
out of the drains, the land is contaminated and after it gets spoiled, people have to breathe. I also
have problems and at the same time the environment is also harmed. People should also pay
attention to the fact that land pollution is also caused by non-pets that leave litter or their toxic
substances everywhere. Many times it also happens that animals like cat, dog, cow, buffalo all
die and their dead body remains lying there, and neither the government takes any measures for
neither its disposal nor the people around it. Due to this reason the land there gets polluted and
along with it the people there also have difficulty in breathing. The government should give
helpline numbers to the people so that if there is any such problem, people can directly contact
the government or inform the nearest officer.

11
 Fig: Person 1

Person 2: Land pollution is increasing around us. People are responsible for this because instead
of putting garbage in the dustbin, they throw it on the roads and here and there. The government
has made big Garbage House for the people around every area where people should put the
garbage but people do not put the garbage in that Garbage House and throw it around. People are
not using the facility which is being given to them and in haste they throw their domestic waste
here and there; this is causing a lot of land pollution. The government is also not taking any
special steps to prevent land pollution, because the mud is lying at the place where the
government does not paid any attention to it, due to which it would have rotted and started
polluting the land. He said that it is necessary for the people that the substances which are
biodegradable should be thrown separately and the substances which are non-biodegradable
should be thrown separately. Due to which there will be a lot of help in the disposal of land
pollution. The government should also make arrangements for biodegradable dustbins and non-
biodegradable dustbins at various places and spread awareness among the people.

12
 Fig: Person 2

Person 3: He said that the meaning of land pollution is that there is garbage around, such things
which are non-biodegradable, which cannot be found in the soil, which keeps the sewer open at
many places, garbage is spread on the roads from place to place. Everything comes under land
pollution. People should use two types of boxes and the government should also pay attention to
the blue and green boxes. Put biodegradable vegetable waste, wood etc. in the blue dustbin and
put non-biodegradable things like wire, glass, plastic etc. in the green dustbin. Every initiative
starts from home, so people should start from their home to deal with this land pollution. There
are 1-1, 2-2 stay dogs around here, so the government should make arrangements for this.
Because they are also responsible for land pollution, when they do not get anything to eat, they
eat garbage and then throw it anywhere which rots and pollutes the land.

13
 Fig: Person 3

Person4: A lot of waste is generated at our home as well as at our work places. This waste is in
the form of metal, glass, wood, plastic, rubber etc. People throw garbage in the parks, on the
roads and anywhere around them; these substances go there due to lying there for a long time
and contaminate the land there. Flies roam on this contaminated rotten garbage and as a result of
which there is a danger of spreading many types of diseases. This waste contains some waste that
is biodegradable and some waste that is non-biodegradable. Many plastic wastes are such that it
is very difficult to get rid of them and get buried in the ground, from which they pollute the land,
spoil the land. Due to land pollution, the parks around us are not suitable for sitting, they remain
very dirty, they have become contaminated, and even healthy air is not available there.

Fig: Person 4

14
Person 5: We should keep the surrounding areas clean. Because, land pollution cause many
diseases. The government is not doing anything to reduce the land pollution, it is just doing
politics during the elections, but since when it takes some steps to dispose of the waste, but after
the elections, everything becomes the same as before. Government sweepers also work more
honestly during elections and pay attention to cleanliness, but after the elections, they do not pay
any special attention to this in any other way, sometimes they come for cleaning, sometimes they
do not come. There is a lack of awareness among the people that what they can do to prevent
this land pollution and how to dispose of the waste. They throw the garbage of their house here
and there wherever they want. So it is said that as much as the government is responsible for
land pollution here, the public is equally responsible for it. The government should spread
awareness among the people and people should also pay attention to this.

Fig: Person 5

Person6: He said that some people are aware about land pollution while some are not aware and
in this way the government is also lacking. Recently the elections of Delhi MCD were held on 4
December 2022. There are many such parks in Delhi which are owned by the NGO, RWA and
Association. I am from Diamond Park Association Mangolpuri. Before the elections, there was a
BJP government here, so we were getting funding to keep the park clean, but after the elections,
the government of the common man has come, due to their mutual conflicts, the government
association, that is, the Diamond Pak Association. Funding is not being given, due to this we are
not able to take proper steps and are not able to dispose of the waste in a good way; we are not
able to keep Pakistan clean properly. It has also been seen that there are many such animals
which are not useless, they keep roaming here and there, they eat the garbage lying around, the
polythene lying around. If we talk, there are some people who take care of cows and leave them
after extracting milk and those cows do not have anything to eat, and then now they eat the
garbage lying around, polythene, etc. In such a situation, how do cows eat harmful things which
15
cause a lot of harm to them internally and sometimes they even die. So in such a situation, the
government should make such squad that can take care of non-pets so that they do not roam
around and spread the waste and do not pollute the land.

Fig: Person 6

Person7: Many human activities are responsible for land pollution. In which the main plastic
material is such as plastic bags, bottles, toys, etc. which we use and throw away anywhere.
Plastic materials do not speak in the soil, they remain like money and pollute the soil, also
pollute the land. The factories nearby also emit many toxic substances which they throw on the
ground which pollute the land. Due to which many times the animals around there also die.
There is a lack of awareness among many people, so despite being aware, many do not pay
attention to the disposal of land pollution.

Fig: Person 7

16
Person 8: Human activities are the main cause of land pollution. Some activities from human
pollute the land. After using plastic, people throw it here and there, plastic does not get
destroyed quickly in the land, and it remains as it is. It takes a long time to break down in the
soil. Because of which I contaminate the land. Other causes of land pollution are acid rain, soil
erosion, and toxic emissions from factories. Many such diseases spread, one of which is skin
allergy.

Fig: Person 8

Person 9: A lot of waste is generated from our homes as well as many workplaces. Garbage can
be in the form of metal glass plastic paper. Some waste is biodegradable and some is not
biodegradable. Plastic is the most smoked non-biodegradable material. People throw heaps and
heaps of many products made of plastic from place to place due to which it is displayed in the
world because plastic does not get easily destroyed in the land. That's why we should use
reusable materials more so that land pollution can be prevented.

17
 Fig: Person 9

Person 10: As factories and factories are coming up at different places, the land around them is
also getting polluted. When the toxic and dangerous substances coming out of factories and
factories are dumped on the ground, they contaminate the land as well as the surrounding air.
Even the stray animals around there die by consuming poisonous substances from such a
distance. And the body of dead animals also remains lying there for a long time; this is also one
of the reasons due to which it also gets polluted. The government is not paying any attention to
this and there is a lack of awareness among the people for this.

Fig: Person 10

18
Result:

Land is an important resource. Land pollution is the deterioration/destruction of land and it

occurs when there is an unwanted accumulation of chemicals, waste or garbage. The biggest
prevention of land pollution is with the 3-R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle things. This applies even to
governments. They can also use the 3-R to minimize the amount of waste going to landfill. After
the 3-R’s remember to compost the rest of your waste.

We can these basic measures to reduce land pollution:

1. People should reduce the use of plastic items. Plastics do not decompose quickly
inside the land and as such remains inside the ground due to which it pollutes the
land.
2. No dumping into sewages, parks, playground etc Any garbage goes through
municipality
3. Don’t use plastic packed water. Get your Bottle out, use it. There are many places
to fill it
4. Reuse plastic bags. If you don’t refuse them. They last or years even if used
extensively so, there is no need for a new bag every time you go to grocery shore.
It’s not his fault that he gives you the bag; it’s your fault for not saying no to it.
5. Prevention can be found by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
It will not only save the soil from contaminating but will also save the crops
6. We should plant trees on forests, grasslands, etc. and stop cutting of trees. Every
effort should be made to keep the parks green.
7. Poisonous toxic substances coming out of factories should be stopped from
pouring on the ground.
8. Attention should be paid to the care of stray animals. And if they die due to any
reason, then their dead body should be informed to the MCD before it rots on the
ground.
9. People should keep both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste separately.
10. The government should organize its awareness campaigns from time to time to
prevent land pollution among the people. Etc…

19
Conclusion:

I interviewed some people living in Mangolpuri near my house and try to know from them what
they understand by land pollution? Who do you hold responsible for land pollution? Is the
government or the public responsible for this? Is the government taking some steps to deal with
it? What should people do to get rid of land pollution? I got answers to all these questions. And
we have come to know that how important it is for the government to come forward to stop land
pollution, equally it is necessary for the people to come forward. One of the reasons for land
pollution also came to the fore that there is lack of awareness among the people. For this, the
government should organize awareness campaigns among the people from time to time. The
government should pay special attention to the cleanliness of the roads. It is also the
responsibility of the people to inform the government if land pollution is happening anywhere. It
is important for people to reduce the use of plastic because plastic is such a material that does not
decompose quickly inside the ground as it remains the same and pollutes the land. Sometimes
plastic items and polythene to be eaten by stray animals because they do not get food to eat. Due
to which many times they dies. That is why the use of our plastic goods and polythene should be
reduced.

20
Bibliography:

Land pollution: Causes, effects, and prevention by Texas Disposal Systems:

https://www.texasdisposal.com/blog/land-pollution/.

National Geography: Resource Library:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/pollution.

Britannica: land Pollution by Jerry A. Nathanson:

https://www.britannica.com/science/pollution-environment.

21