The Impact of Artisanal Mining on Soil Quality in Solwezi District of Zambia

Soil is a complex system comprised of minerals, soil organic matter (SOM), water, and air. This study aimed at assessing the impact of artisanal mining activities on soil quality in Solwezi District. This study employed the experimental design which involved analyzing soil samples near the mining site in order to determine the content of heavy metals in the soil. 15 soil samples were collected and analyzed, after analysis it was discovered that heavy metals have a negative effect on soil quality and subsequently affect the health of humans. The study revealed that Nitrogen was low in the soil samples and this can be improved by the application of green manure and NPK fertilizers. The amount of heavy metals in samples which were within the distance of 500m from the cement plant had high content of heavy metals with chromium and lead having highest content site A, B and C were polluted with lead and chromium. Site A had lead (Pb) content of 712 against the permissible value of 85mg/kg, the soil within 200m proximity was highly polluted with lead. Chromium, the soil content was 141 against the permissible value of 100, this means that the site A was polluted with chromium. It can be concluded that lead and chromium are the only heavy metals which were in highly concentrated in all the three sites within the proximity of 600m from the cement plant. Other heavy metal s such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were below the permissible level. The two control sites were not polluted by any of the heavy metals since they were far from the mining site. The study therefore indicated that artisanal mining leads to the accumulation of heavy metals such as lead and chromium.