Environmental Chemistry Soil Degradation in Stone Crushing Areas - Reclamation Effect on Crop Productivity

Abstract

None of the natural resources is as valuable as land. Soil degradation is loss or reduction of soil energy. In recent years the pressure on this precious resource due to rapid industrialization, intensive agriculture and other anthropogenic activities has led to various kinds of degradation, environmental pollution and decline in the crop productivity and sustainability. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have seriously augmented the growing burden of chemical contaminants on the soil. The pollution loads in our soil environments resulting in contamination of ground water through leaching and their harmful constituents have often found their way through soil –plant uptake mechanisms. Prominent sources contributing to contaminated load of soils are geogenic, mining, and smelting, use of fertilizers, pesticides etc. The present studies throws light on impact of stone crushing on soil degradation and reclamation effect on crop productivity.

Key words- Overburden, soil degradation, spoil, strip mining, anthropogenic.