Sir

Soil is one of the basic components of life and the most wonderful gift as a resource by nature. It is of immense value to people. Soil supports life on the earth. It is essential for the growth of agriculture, holds buildings, houses, factories and dams, provides oxygen to living beings and maintains nitrogen cycle. Its absorption quality helps to drain away rain water and maintain underground water level. Soil also helps decompose and recycle biodegradable wastes and regulates the earth climate by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon compounds.

Not only this, soil also determines our citizenship. The place where we are born and the soil we have lived in matters. Soil becomes our identity.

Today with the increasing population a lot of the world’s soil has been badly degraded, we need more of land, food, water, air and fossil fuel. To meet the growing needs we have been cutting trees day by day resulting soil erosion. Harmful gases and chemicals, agricultural pesticides, non-biodegradable materials are polluting the soil.

We also lose a lot of topsoil by tilling, which causes the topsoil to be removed by the action of wind and rain. Poor soil results in poor quality food and hence bad nutrition.

We have studied number of ways to conserve soil and its qualities such as planting trees, organic farming, using more of biodegradable things, reduce in toxic waste, recycle things and together with these it is also important to control the increasing population.

We all read these but do not apply it in our life. Instead of waiting for someone else to do the work for you, it is best to take measures yourself. Life starts from the soil and ends into the soil so it is a major concern for us; pollution has reached alarming extent. If measures are not taken to curb it, the day is not far, when the world will be destroyed.

Yours truly

Seema Kumari

  health, pollution, World soil day