5.4.Long-term Problems on Soil

Increase in Transportation Zinc, Iron, copper and Sulpher Crops along the highway

Figure 122 On Leh-Manali highway Diesel runs vehicles are used for commute, the diesel has a heavy metal concentration which is polluting the adjacent soil along the highway. The car emits heavy metal into the atmosphere which mixes with soil adjoining to the road.

Vehicles constitute one of the most important sources of environmental pollution. Most studies

on roadside soil pollution have been carried out in urban areas, where the main fuel used is petrol.

These studies indicate that the concentrations of heavy metals associated with vehicular movement

decrease with increasing distance from the highway and with depth in the soil profile. In contrast, most of the vehicles that travel along the Manali-Leh Highway in the northwestern Himalayas,

India are fueled by diesel. (Dasgupta, 2014)

On Leh-Manali highway Diesel runs vehicles are used for commute, the diesel has a heavy

metal concentration which is polluting the adjacent soil along the highway. Although the highway

was closed to tourists for eight months of the year (according to early studies), army vehicles are

Contaminated Crops Transported to consumers

These heavy metal gets transferred into the soil which might be used for farming. Thus transferring to plants, animals, and humans which is hazardous for health.

presumed to travel much of its length during the winter. During the cold period, deicing salt is used

to keep the road clear that might result in the dispersal of heavy metals both away from the road

as well as downward in the soil profile. In the study, it is seen that there is an apparent increase in metal concentrations with distance from the highway at Kothi and Killingsarai, almost no change

in concentrations at Rumtse, and an apparent decrease in concentrations at Jispa. Although at Jispa,

the concentrations of metals decrease with 17m distance from the highway. The study states that the

concentration in the soil is low compared to the urban city due to the low rate of vehicles but with

the increase in the vehicles every year to the destination, it’s evident to see changes in the concen-

tration along the highway. After the development of the Atal tunnel, there will be a year-long influx of transportation which will have a long-term impact on people, plants, and agriculture. It will also

be critical to establishing the degree to which these pollutants are transferred to the animals and

people that live along the Manali-Leh Highway. (Dasgupta, 2014) The sulfur content is seen in all

studied sites of the report which is of concern from both health and ecological points of view. The

studied site is Kothi, Killingsarai,Rumtse and Jispa.