Soil Protection Policy

Since independence, agriculture and food security has received considerable importance in policy documents of Planning Commission of Indian government. Although issue of land protection has been raised and addressed in the Five Yearly Plan documents, focus remained mainly on rational use of land by different sectors of economic activity and on prevention of soil erosion from agricultural land. Protection of land from chemicals & radionuclides pollution and prevention of toxic contaminants entry into soil have received less reference in environmental acts and rules as compared to that received by air and water pollution. Therefore, the need for soil protection policy has been felt by environmentalists that can regulate anthropogenic activities responsible for land pollution and put forward guidelines on remedial measures of already contaminated land. This chapter identifies key considerations for soil protection policy after analyzing basic functions of soil and types of threats perceived from human activities.