Pesticide Pollution in Soils and Sediment in India: Status, Impact and Countermeasures

Abstract

Indiscriminate use of pesticides will lead to their accumulation in soil and may impart an adverse impact on human and environmental health. Due to the intensification of agriculture, usage of pesticide is inevitable in India; however, in the absence of a strong legal framework and lack of awareness of the farmers, inappropriate use of pesticides contributed to the pollution of soil and sediments and induced health problems for human and aquatic lives. Some of the pesticide molecules and its derivatives persist in the soil for a longer period which disturbs soil ecological balance and sustainability. Moreover, traces of pesticides may cause threat to the aquatic endangered species. This is a serious concern for both soil and aquatic environments. Reviewing various literature it was found that the level of contamination in soil and sediment does not reflect the present pesticide usage scenario of India and further highlighted the widespread use of banned pesticides. Under these circumstances, this chapter describes the occurrence, distribution and source of pesticides in the Indian scenario based on the numerous studies conducted over the past decades in both soil and sediment environments. The impact of these pesticides on soil ecology is also discussed along with the mention of novel and effective bioremediation methods invented by team of researchers to overcome the problem of pesticide residues.