Increasing soil pollution having an adverse impact on food security: Report

Like air and water pollution soil pollution is equally hazardous and threatens the environment and human health Until recently however it received very little attention Unlike air pollution soil pollution is usually less visible and cannot be directly assessed making it a hidden menace that can have serious consequencesPublic awareness of the problem improved during the last decade This was underpinned by a groundbreaking report Soil Pollution A Hidden Reality published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO in 2018 regarded by experts as a turning point in the global communitys recognition of the problemAssessment approaches vary from region to region but soil contamination is the most acute problem in densely populated areas in South South East and East Asia This includes India Bangladesh China and othersThe report found that soil pollution has an adverse impact on food security in two ways on the one hand it can reduce crop yields due to toxic levels of contaminants and on the other crops grown in polluted soils are unsafe causing a threat to human health as well as to animalsFurther it showed that the main sources of soil pollution are humanmade and caused by industrial activity agricultural chemicals or improper waste disposal Chemicals used in or produced as byproducts of industrial activities household livestock and municipal wastes including wastewater and agrochemicals fall under this categoryThe findings were reaffirmed in more recent studies such as the Global Assessment of soil pollution Report issued by FAO and UNEP in 2021Soil pollution is one of the major threats to the worlds soils and jeopardises the provision of key soil ecosystem services including the provision of safe and nutritious food the availability of clean water and the existence and conservation of soil biodiversity the authors saidAccording to environmental experts although remediation of polluted sites may be both onerous and expensive depending on the technology and rehabilitation strategy it is necessary for restoring ecosystemsThere is no way to realise largescale remediation projects without collaborating with big businesses and research institutions and providing enormous financial administrative and technical supportRussian oil company Rosneft presents a positive example of how corporate actors can contribute to tackling soil pollution Over 10 years 20132022 the company has already remediated over 2500 hectares of historical heritage lands damaged during the Soviet period and future plans are even more ambitiousBy 2035 Rosneft is planning to recultivate all the historical heritage lands in the regions of its presence The companys representatives stated this at the round table Clean Land Soils as the Basis of Ecosystems in Russia organised by the allRussian environmental online platform Clean FutureThe company continues to improve its approaches to environmental management as part of its 2030 strategy expanding its environmental activities and securing the necessary investmentsOne of the countrys leading advocates of sustainable development and the green agenda Rosneft is committed to reducing its environmental impact and achieving an overall positive impact on ecosystems as part of its commitment to becoming an environmentally friendly businessTo restore soil biodiversity and productivity in Russias northern regions Rosnefts environmentalists have developed and implemented a range of innovative methods and technologiesOne of the most remarkable technologies is winter soil recultivation which is used in waterlogged soils Swampy areas require special equipment like amphibious excavators multifunctional snow and swamp vehicles small manoeuvrable transporters etcOn the recent World Earth Day celebrated each year on April 22 Rosneft announced further ambitious plans for soil rehabilitation making it one of the pivotal aspects of its sustainability effortsAlso Read Mumbai zoo launches a Crocodile Trail with an underwater viewing deckThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever