What is Leaching

The soil is considered to be one of the most important substances for the existence of the biotic community. The quality of the soil is continually degrading due to the continuous exploitation of human activity. The superiority of a soil is rated on the basis of its chemical and physical characteristics. The contaminants added to the soil mainly because of human activity change the usual function and ecological properties and cause of negative impacts on agricultural productivity and soil health. The property of the soil is potentially affected by urban wastes, industrial wastes, sewage water, mining wastes, oil, radioactive wastes, deforestation, and massive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Heavy metal contamination of the soil is a vital environmental problem because it is the cause of adverse effects on the biological community through the contamination of the food chain. A continuous exposure of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the landfill sites causes leachate formation; this is percolated inside the soil leading to the change in properties.