Causes of Land Pollution

Improper disposal of solid waste: The manner in which people dispose of waste degrades the land. Households and business enterprises use the land as a dumping ground for waste materials. Once such areas (land) are used like this it becomes unfit or unsuitable for use, unless otherwise reclaimed. Pedestrians and passengers also degrade the land by littering in open space.

Industrial activities such as mining both legal and illegal cause destruction to the land: Mining methods such as open cast, deep shaft, “galamsey” operations rid the land of its vegetation and create deep pits exposing the land to harsh climatic conditions and soil erosion. Areas around Obuasi and Akwatia where mining activity is high, have lands which were previously farmed on that are now destroyed.

The continuous use of land may further cause destruction to the land: As the land is continuously cultivated, it loses its nutrients and fertility. This is because through each cultivation period certain amounts of nutrients are lost.

Bad farming practices that include wrong use of fertilizers and pesticides can affect the soil and make it more acidic which is not suitable for all types of crop production. Monoculture on a land that may also grow other crops can affect the local ecosystem. After Harvesting, some farm lands are left bare which exposes the soil to nutrient loss and erosion through rainfall or runoff water. Bad irrigation can also cause soil to end up waterlogged.

Deforestation and clearing of vegetation exposes the land and soil which can lead to gradual erosion by water bodies passing through these lands.

Increased places of settlement in an already congested area can lead to gradual degradation of land especially when a town is not planned properly and estate developers keep on putting up buildings to increase their dealings. Vegetation is cut down in order to make more space for roads and buildings. There is a loss in quality of surrounding land. Slums spring about within these areas as they become choked and unhealthy eg. Sodom and Gomorrah in Ghana.

Continuous illegal Sand winning in certain areas can lead to serious Land degradation. Increase in infrastructure and roads require that more sand be used to complete these buildings. This weakens the areas where sand winning takes place exposing them to further degradation. It also affects crop production since areas with healthy soil is also pulled away leading to concern for farmers. In Ghana sand winning poses a problem because it is a cheap source of employment especially in rural areas, people gather sand with excavators illegally for construction companies. Farm lands at Dome Faase, Obokwashie, Paano are all degraded.

Overgrazing by animals (cattle) on large fields with grass leaves the land bare and exposed to degradation. Nomadic form of farming practiced by the Fulani people encourages overgrazing since they move from one place to another for food for themselves and their livestock gradually degrading the land as they move on.

Heavy duty vehicles that do not pass on already established roads tend to create their own additional routes on the land. They leave tyre tracks and destroy any plant life growing on the land leaving it bare and exposed to further degradation.