INVISIBLE THREAT

Significant presence of microplastics in Puducherry’s agricultural soil raises concerns for soil and crop health

- ABHINAB BORAH

IN RECENT years, researchers have started to unveil the wide spread of microplastics in the environment. Improperly disposed plastics, particularly single-use plastics, break down over time and leave behind these minuscule fragments that measure less than 0.5 cm. In India, where plastic waste generation has more than doubled in five years, according to the 2020-21 annual report of the Central Pollution Control Board, microplastics have permeated various ecosystems, including agricultural lands.

Research shows these particles could have an adverse impact on ecosystems. A 2018 study published in the journal Global Change Biology by scientists from Germany suggests that microplastics pollute land all across the world, and can harm the health of the microorganisms in soil. This can particularly pose grave threat to agricultural land, where the health of the soil ecosystem has greater implications on crops and livelihoods of local communities.

To understand whether microplastic pollution is prevalent in the serene landscape of Puducherry, a Union Territory on the southern tip of the country, researchers from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala and Pondicherry Central University studied four open-field agricultural sites. The sites, all along the coastline, had silty clay and sandy soil type, and were located near health centres and households. The researchers collected and analysed soil and irrigation water samples using a density separation method.