Sources, potential adverse effects and remediation of agricultural soil contaminants

The need for increased food production and the desire to improve the economic conditions have led to rapid industrialisation in many Asian countries. At present the impact of industrialisation on the soil environment in many countries in the Australasia-Pacific region is not clear although reports discussed in this book (Chapters 14 to 25) suggest that increasing reliance on agrichemicals and industrial effluents for irrigation purposes has resulted in extensive contamination of agricultural land. The lack of industrial zoning legislation in these countries has led to expansion of industries into regions traditionally used for agricultural purposes. This expansion together with the disposal of industrial wastes, fallout from industrial atmospheric emissions, and the use of polluted waters for irrigation of crops have resulted in contamination of valuable agricultural land in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.