B18.2 Land and water pollution

Land and water pollution

Pollution is the addition of substances to the environment that may be harmful to living organisms . Population growth and a higher standard of living cause more waste to be produced. If this waste is not handled correctly, it leads to pollution.

Land pollution

In order to improve the yield from their land, most farmers spray their crops with chemicals including herbicides and pesticides.

Herbicides increase crop yield by killing or inhibiting the growth of weeds, reducing the competition for resources such as minerals, space and sunlight. Pesticides increase yield by killing off pests, such as small insects or plant pathogens, which would otherwise feed on or damage the crops.

However, some of these chemicals can remain in the soil for long periods, polluting the land, and they…