Evaluation of the effects of industrial wastewater on soil properties and land desertification

During past decades, increased wastewater production by human activities intensified the problem of wastewater usewithout causing undesirable impacts on the environment and human life. However, practice of wastewater use inirrigation crops and green spaces needs careful control because of the potential presence of unwanted constituents such asheavy metals and organic contaminants. This research was designed to evaluate the effects of industrial wastewater onsoil properties in Yazd, Iran. For this purpose, two plots were prepared and irrigated for five years, one with industrialwastewater and the other with local groundwater. Finally, soil samples collected from both plots were analyzed inlaboratory and important factors and elements including EC, pH, SAR, K, N, P, Ca, Pb, Fe, Cd, CaCO3 and OC (organiccarbon) which are important in soil degradation and land desertification were determined. According to the resultsobtained from this research it should be reported that this type of wastewater may cause soil degradation due to increasingSAR, EC, pH and Pb and also decreasing N, K and OC. It is clear that soil degradation is the main factor which causesand accelerates the process of desertification.