Influence of Stone Crusher Units' Dust Pollution on Agriculture in Virudhunagar District of Tamil Nadu

In this process, many industries are polluting the air and environment. One among them is the stone crushing industry. Air polluting industries are a proximate source of major damage to farming systems in adjacent areas, thus disrupting the main source of livelihoods of many small and marginal farmers. Scientific study shows that polluted air from industrial and urban areas usually consists of a mixture of pollutants, which can adversely affect agriculture in many complex ways. Air pollutants that are most damaging to agriculture are sulphur dioxide and the oxides of nitrogen, which are categorized as acid pollutants. Agriculture yields depend upon many factors like weather, soil fertility, irrigation, pesticides, and the like. Other things remaining the same, air pollution, particularly dust pollution, causes a significant fall in crop yields, and in turn, agriculture income reduces. Hence a modest attempt has been made here to study the influence of dust pollution by stone crushing units in the surrounding areas of Virudhunagar District. The results of the Factor Analysis show that the spread of dust from stone crushing units has affected the fertility of the soil, led to a reduction in the area of cultivation, and has a negative impact on cattle breathing and ultimatelyaffected the income levels of the farming community.