Edaphic Impact of Industrial Effluents on Soil Resources in Western Rajasthan

Impact assessment of industrial effiuents on agricultural lands along Bandi, Luni and Jojri rivers in western Rajasthan revealed that the effiuents and effluent-polluted waters have high salinity (EC 4.5–30.0 dS m⁻¹) and are potentially sadic (SAR 16.6–84.8; RSC 0.0–27.2 me L⁻¹). Because of irrigation with these effiuents and effiuent polluted walers the soils along Bandi (Pali), Luni (Balolra) and Jojri (Jodhpur) rivers have been badly affected and turned saline, and saline-sadic (ECe 2.0–274.0 dS m⁻¹; SAR 15–307 and pH 8.3–9.9).There is found a tremendous deterioration in physical and chemical properties of soils which leads to adverse effect on nutrient availahility. The degraded soils acquired peculiar hardness and compaction, reduced infiltration rate, unfavourlible prismatic and cloddy structure and surface sealed crusting resulting in a non-congenial environment in soil for micro-organisms and reduced nutrient availability. Agriculturally these lands have become either unfit for cultivation or Ihe production potential has reduced to a larger extent because of high soluble salts concentration, harmful to plant growth due to moisture stress and toxicity of some of the ions.