Land Pollution/Degradation

Land pollution is the process by which human activities contaminate the land or soil and make it harmful to living organisms.

Land Degradation is the destruction and misuse of land, mainly through human activities such as bad mining practices, sand winning, deforestation (land clearance), poor farming methods (fertilizer usage), bad irrigation methods, increased settlements, dumping of non-biodegradable refuse. Land degradation can also be caused by harsh weather conditions like drought or excessive rain which can cause erosion (natural causes). Animals also contribute to land degradation through overgrazing. Land degradation generally leads to loss in quality of Land.

Biodegradable: This is the chemical breakdown of materials by bacteria or other biological means.

Important Fact: Natural disasters or hazards (such as bush fires, floods etc) are not considered as causes of Land degradation. Human influence indirectly causes bush fires, floods, acid rain and some forms of erosion which can affect the land.