Soil quality assessment in agricultural lands of an industrializing region of India

Soil degradation due to industrialization is a growing global concern, emphasizing the importance of evaluating soil quality near industrial zones to ensure food security, environmental sustainability, and public health. This study compares soil quality across five industrial sites, including foundries, electroplating, paper mills, textile mills, and quarries and cement industries, in the Coimbatore district. Soil samples were collected via a purposive sampling approach from nearby agricultural fields via a 500 m² grid. The soil quality was assessed by including all the soil parameters as soil quality indicators via principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation studies with a minimum data set followed by linear scoring and the weighted additive method. The soil quality was ranked as follows: reference soils (0.752) > foundry industrial sites (0.591) > quarry and cement industrial sites (0.554) > paper mill sites (0.552) > textile and dyeing industrial sites (0.500) > electroroplating industrial sites (0.482). The findings reveal that industrial activities significantly compromise soil quality in adjacent agricultural areas, with varying levels of impact.