Quality of Soil in Gossaigaon Sub-Division and Its Impact on Environmental Degradation

People on Earth are under tremendous threat due to undesired changes in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water and soil. Due to increased human population, industrialization, use of unwanted amounts of fertilizers and man-made activities, water and soil is highly polluted with different harmful contaminants. Natural water and soil contaminates due to weathering of rocks and leaching of soils, mining processing etc. It is necessary that the quality of drinking water and soil should be checked at regular time interval, because due to use of contaminated drinking water, human population suffers from variety of water borne diseases. The study area, Gossaigaon sub-division of Kokrajhar district, Assam lies on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river and is slowly sloping towards south from the foothills of Bhutan upto an average height of 42 MSL. The tributaries of the BrahmaputraSankosh, Ripu, Dambra, Burachara, Gadadhar, Gurufella, Madati, Hel, Gongea are flowing southward which have their sources in the Himalayas. In this paper an attempt has been made to assess the quality of soil of 10 different stations by considering the parameters like Colour, Temperature, pH value, Conductance, Alkalinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Hardness, TS, TDS, Chlorine, Fluorine, Sulphur, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Iron, Calcium and Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Zinc, Nickel, Lead and Copper which have direct correlation with human health. CONTACT Binay Kumar Basumatary binaykrbasumatary@gmail.com Department of Chemistry, Mewar University,Gangar, Chittorgarh Rajasthan, India. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY). Doi: dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.9.3.06 Article History Received: 13 September 2021 Accepted: 04 December 2021


Introduction
The importance of the soil resource has been simply analysed by the Chinese saying that the soil is the mother of all things. It is the foundation of all life as it has many functions such as providing a medium for plant growth, water supply regulation, wastes recycling, providing a habitat for organisms and supporting human infrastructure. To maintain other resources such as water, air and wildlife habitat as well as to support and sustain crop, range and woodland production these functions are essential.
The monitoring of the soil propertyis essential to achieving sustainable land use because the soil resource is a very much vital constituent of our environment. Due to management influences to identify changes in soil quality and in the process gathers important data to use in model validation the AESA Soil Quality Benchmark Program measures soil parameters on a yearly basis. All development of forest and agricultural productions depends upon physico-chemical parameters of the soil used for it. The need of soil testing is increased due to different practices carried for their output and interest of the public in the calibre of products obtained from it.

Aims and Objective
The development of the concept of land quality is traced by this report and explores the use of soil chemical and physical properties attributes as the determinants of soil quality and present challenges.
To help the people in this locality to know about the quality of Soil, as majority of the people are engaged in Agriculture for their sustenance. • To determine the physical parameters such as pH and conductance of a soil sample. • To determine the elements of soil samples in the area. • To take the measure to improve the quality of soil for agricultural purpose. • To differentiate the quality of soil for the cultivation. • To fulfil the deficiency of the soil fertility.

The Study Area The Gossaigaon Sub-Division
Geographically, Gossaigaon Sub-Division is located in the North- The Gossaigaon Sub-Division is geographically an interesting zone for study, having a numbers of beels and rivers.
Geographically the area lies roughly between 26ᴼ20ˊ N to 26ᴼ35ˊ N latitude and 89ᴼ46ˊ E to 90ᴼ10ˊ E longitude.

Methodology Collection of Samples and Sampling Stations
• Soil samples were collected in polyethylene containers. Before use, the containers were cleaned with chromic acid solution, rinsed several times with distilled water and dried thoroughly. The containers were filled up to tightly tie up to prevent agitation during transportation and to minimize with air. • The soil samples were collected from ten different spots of Gossaigaon Sub-Division. The Sampling stations are given below.

Storage and Preservation of Samples
• Soil temperatures of different samples were measured at the time of collection of the samples. • The parameters viz. pH and Conductance were determined within short period from collection.
For determination of the other parameters, the storage and preservation of the samples were done following standard procedure (APHA, 1995).

•
Guidelines values of soil quality parameters are given in the following Table -2

Result and Discussion
The result of discussion of soil quality is presented in tabular as well as diagrammatical forms and their significances are thoroughly discussed. The soil quality is examined in the basis of the experimental data.

Physical Parameters Temperature
The temperature measurements of the soil sources are enlisted in the Table-4.
The value of temperature ranges from 1.5˚C to 1.8˚C, well under the maximum permissible value due to the absence of thermal pollution in the part of Gossaigaon.
The variation is purely seasonal.
Soil scientist considers a very important soil physical property is temperature and within the soil it controls many chemical and biological processes. Simply the soil temperature is the measurement of the warmth or heat of the soil. To measure the soil temperature a mercury thermometer is used. To get an accurate reading of the soil temperature the thermometer's probe was pushed as deep into the soil as possible.
For planting most plants,ideal soil temperatures are within the range 65˚ to 75˚F. For bioactivity the average soil temperatures range from 50˚ to 75˚F. These values are favourable for normal life functions of earth bio data that ensure proper organic matter decomposition, increased nitrogen mineralization, uptake of soluble substances and metabolism.
pH pH values of the soil samples are listed in the Table -4 The values of pH of the samples range from 6.55-6.78. The highest value was recorded in the sample no.Vlll at Fakiragram and the lowest value was recorded in the sample no.V at Jaraguri.
The Acidity or alkalinity of soil can be indicated by soil pH and is measured in pH units. pH of soil can be defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. Rangeof pH scale is from 0 to 14. pH of natural water is principally governed by the carbon dioxide, bicarbonate-carbonate equilibrium and generally lies in the range 6.5-8.5. (Belan F. 1988).
WHO and ICMR have recommended the maximum permissible limits of pH to be 6.5-8.5. In the present study no sample was found to have pH well below the lower limit. However, the observed variation in the pH might be due to the peculiarity of soil characteristics or other unknown causes. The values of pH of most soils are between 3.5 to 10. The natural pH of soils in higher rainfallareas typically ranges from 5 to 7, while in dry areas the pH range is within 6.5 to 9. According to their pH values soils can be classified: 6.5 to 7.5-neutral, below this level as acidic and above this level as basic.
Generally the ideal pH range is in between 6.0 to 7.0 for crops. With the help of liming pH of soil can be increased. When soil pH is too high then it can create problems for plant health and growth. For many plants high alkalinity soil makes it harder for plants to drink in nutrients from the soil, when it can limit their optimal growth.
Low level of pH causes corrosion of plant equipment, piping in the distribution system an increases metal concentration in water introducing metal ions such as Zinc, Copper, Cadmium, Lead etc. (Abbas N., Subramaniam V.1984).

Conductance
The values of the conductance of the soil samples are given in Table -4 and the values are range from 0.01dS/m to 0.06dS/m.
The highest value was recorded in sample no. lll, Bhawraguri and the lowest values are recorded in sample nos. V, Vl, and Vlll at Jaraguri, Chakma and Fakiragram.
The maximum permissible limit of electrical conductance of soil as recommended by WHO (1993) is 1400µScmˉ¹. In the present study all conductance measurements were recorded below the permissible limit of WHO.
The soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the amount of salts present in soil. For soil health it is a good indicator. With several soil physical and chemical properties it is an indirect measurement that correlates very well. EC is the ability of a matter to conduct or transmit an electrical current and commonly expressed in units of milliSiemens per meter (mS/m). Optimum EC levels in the soil ranges from 110-570mS/m. Very low EC levels indicate low available nutrients and too high EC levels indicate an excess of nutrients.
Temperature, amount of fertilizers, salinity, moisture level, irrigation and types of soil are the several important factors that affect the EC value of the soil.
The conductance of a sample corresponds to the concentrations of inorganic ions. Higher conductance refers to higher mineralisation may be caused because of perfect entrapment, ground water recharge and solubilisation of minerals from underground soil structure (Jain, 1998).

Nitrogen-Nitrate
The concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen present in the soil samples are furnished in the Naturally from N-fixation by soil bacteria and legumes and through atmospheric deposition in rainfall Nitrogen is added to soil. By other organic materials or fertilizers manure additional nitrogen is typically supplied to the crop. The plant cannot grow taller or produce enough food without enough nitrogen in the plant. The most common sources of nitrogen addition to soils are common fertilizers, plant residues, animal manures and sewage. NH 4 -N concentration of 2-10 ppm is common. In cold, wet soils or in soils irrigated with a water supply,levels above 10 ppm NH 4 -N may occur which is high in NH 4 -N concentration.
Nitrate, although not harmful as such may be converted to dangerous nitrate by certain bacteria in the body which reacts with the haemoglobin of red blood cells by inhibiting their capacity to carry oxygen (N.C. Ghosh and S.M. Seth, 1994).
Infants, particularly up to six months of age, are more susceptible to this condition as their gastric juice has low pH, for which a suitable environment is created for bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite. Thus excessive nitrate may affect infants adversely causing methemoglobinemia or "blue baby disease" (Bio inorganic Chemistry-Hussain Reddy). Besides blue disease, nitrate leads to potential formation of carcinogenic nitrosamine, WHO has recommended an amount of 2.2lbs/1000 sq.ft NO 3 ( 10 mg/L NO 3 -N) in soil. (N.Kumaraswamyetal.1997).
The present study did not record any concentrations of this parameter above the permissible limit.

Phosphorous-Phosphate
The phosphate-concentrations in the samples are presented in Table-5. In the present study the highest amount of phosphorous is found in the sample no.lV Srirampur and the lowest amount is found in the sample no. ll at Kachugaon. The organic carbon-concentrations in the samples are presented in Table-5. In the present study the highest amount of organic carbon is found in the sample No. IV at Srirampur and the lowest amount of organic carbon is found in the sample No. ll at Kachugaon.
In general the organic carbon content of WA dry land agricultural soils is between the range of 0.7% and 4%, although for desert soils SOC can be low as 0.3% and as high as 14% for intensive dairy soils. In many ways carbon also improves soil quality. It gives the soil structure, stores water and nutrients that plants need and feeds vital soils organisms.

Major Cation Sodium
The sodium concentrations in the soil samples are shown in the Table-6. The ranges observed for this parameter is 0.23ppm to 0.80ppm. Saturation extract of sodium measured as 15meq/L and the amount of exchangeable sodium of 130mg/Kg is 7.4% of the total base saturation, well above 2.5% is ok for coastal soils.
The highest value is observed in sample no. lllat Bhawraguri and the lowest concentration observed in sample no. Vlll at Fakiragram.
Sodium though not health hazard for general population, may adversely affect the cardiac and kidney patient and impart a bitter taste to water at higher concentration (Tebbutt, 1998). Moreover at very high concentration sodium becomes toxic to plants and corrosive to metal surface. WHO has laid down a limit of 130mg/L of sodium in soil on the basis of taste threshold of its compound (WHO, 1993). The present record did not record any such high values of sodium concentrations.
For most field crops, 20 to 30 ppm is adequate and the optimum level will vary with crop production and soil conditions. Desirable level is 40 to 60 ppm for good production of most crops. Sodium is one of the many types of cations that are bound clay particles. It is a cation (Na + ) that is held loosely on clay particles in soil. Soil is said to be sodic when sodium makes up more than about 5% of all cations bound to the clay particles.

Potassium
The potassium content of soil samples are enlisted in the Table-6. The values of potassium were found to be fluctuating within the following range 69.35kg/ ha to 129.16 kg/ha. The highest contents of potassium were found at in sample no. lX at Serfanguri and the lowest contents of potassium were found at sample no. Vlll at Fakiragram.
Healthy soil may contain potassium in the range from 40 to 80 ppm. For proper growth and reproduction of plants, potassium is an essential nutrient for plant and is required in large amounts. The potassium content in soil may affects the shape of plant, size, color, taste and other measurements attributed to healthy production. In its ionic form K + plant absorb potassium. Available potassium levels will be high if a soil is amended with copious amounts of compost and plant goes naturally die and decay. Decaying plant material replenishes soils with a lot of potassium ions. Potassium increases decrease resistance, helps stalks to grow upright and sturdy, improves drought tolerance and helps plant get through the winter. It is a critical nutrient that plants absorb from the soil and fertilizers.
Naturally occurring potassium a constituent of water is found to be an important nutrient and does not have any record found for causing harmful effects on humans. However urinary excretes may full because of reduced potassium intake, (Kataria, 2000). It is the present work, potassium contents of all samples were found to be higher than the respective sodium contents.

Calcium
The concentration of calcium as recorded in water samples are given in the There is no such evidence of adverse health effects specially attributed to calcium in water. But this metal contributes to the hardness making water unfit for many of its uses due to scale formation during boiling and resultant excessive energy consumption. Physiologically, calcium in small quantities is neededfor the body though water provides only a small portion of the calcium required by the body (Srinivasetal., 2000). The guideline limit of calcium is 100mg/L (WHO, 1993). In the present study the calcium contents were found well below the guideline level.

Magnesium
The magnesium contents recorded experiments are enlisted in the Table-6. The highest concentration value was found to 1.0 meq/100g in the sample nos. l and lll at Gossaigaon and Bhawraguri and the lowest concentration value was recorded in the sample nos. Vll and Vlll at Tulsibil and Fakiragram and the value is 0.4meq/100g.
Magnesium is a common constituent of natural water and its concentration generally remains lower than that of calcium. Although it is a harmful constituent of soil, it has laxative effects, particularly on new users if present along with sulphate in the soil sample.
A good Magnesium level in soil is 3.6 to 9% of Mg.
If the level of Mg in the soil is optimum or above optimum level, a liming material which has less than 3.6% Mg should be used. Lime is not needed for pH adjustment occasionally if soils test below optimum in Mg or Ca. A little excess of Mg is not particularly harmful to us. When growing in soil, excessive amounts of the Mg do not appear quickly. Too much of Mg inhibits the uptake of Ca and the plantswill display general symptoms of an excess of salts; stunted growth and dark coloured vegetation.
In high quantities of magnesium soils the magnesium ions sitting on the clay surfaces have a 50% greater hydrated radius than the calcium which causes these soils to absorb more amount of water. Calcium loosens soil by flocculating particles and increasing pore space while Mg tightens soils by separating particles and decreasing pore space.
The maximum permissible limit of magnesium in drinking water, as prescribed by WHO is 30mg/ gm (WHO, 1993). All magnesium concentrations obtained in the present study were at very much less than this limit.

Conclusion
In view of the above results obtained from preliminary investigation on a section of the river bank of Gossaigaon we can perhaps conclude that soil quality of the area is not sufficiently degraded. This may be due to use of less amount of fertilizers and no such big industry is found in the locality. However intensive as well as extensive study regarding nature and amount of various pollutants present are required in order to arrive at a concrete decision involving means to control them and for identifying the various sources of the pollutants.

Aknowledgement
First of all I must offer my heartiest thanks to my family members for their constant support and encouragement in pursuing my Ph.D work. Works cannot be fulfilled without the help of friends and well wishers. So, I must take the opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to those who help in the time of collecting samples and in the time of research. So my heartiest thanks go to all of them for supporting me in publishing my paper. Last but not least, I must be thankful to the editor of this journal for publishing my article in this journal. Thanking all.

Funding
My funding source is my individual source through which I have been pursuing my Ph.D work.