Soil Repot

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Faculty of Geography

Department for Geospatial and Environmental Science

University of Belgrade

Municipality of Lazarevac

Land quality report

Student: Andrea Bilic

Index No. 30/06

Belgrade

March 2011.


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Table of contents

1. Introduction

2. Environmental Settings2.1Geographical location

2.2 Terrain features

2.3 Geology and hydrogeology

2.4 Pedology

2.5 Seismic characteristics

2.6 Hydrology

2.7Nature of surrounding area

3.National Strategy for Sustainable Development

4. Land quality4.1 Soil and plant contamination

4.2 Deposol reclamation

4.3 Landslides, mudslides and erosion

4.4 Improving application of fertilizers and pesticides on agricultural land

4.5 Introduction of a strategy for sustainable development in agriculture

5. Conclusion


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Introduction

Lazarevac administratively belongs to the region of Belgrade and it is one of the

four largest municipalities in Belgrade. It covers an area of 384 km.

This area is very rich in coal (lignite). The Kolubara mine is located in the

Kolubara Mining Basin which is owned by the Republic of Serbia. Management

and utilisation is entrusted with Public Enterprise Elektroprivreda Srbije, organised

as a vertically integrated company, within which the subsidiary RB Kolubara

Lazarevac operates. The intensity and longevity of coal exploitation in the

Kolubara Basin is causing a major disruption in the integrity of the terrain, air and

ecosystems.

Soil supports the natural vegetation, agriculture and forestry upon which people

and wildlife depend. Soil also plays an important role in the cycling of elements

such as carbon and nitrogen and in the water cycle through regulating run-off. The

importance of soil as a non-renewable resource essential to a sustainable

environment must be recognised.

This report aims to evaluate and summarise the current soil conditions in

Lazarevac based upon existing information and data.


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1. Environmental Settings2.1 Geographical location

Lazarevac occupies a very favourable geographic position. It is located 55 km

south-southwest of Belgrade. It extends between 44 16 and 44 34 north latitude

and 20 11 and 20 28 east longitude. The municipality has good highway

connections with Belgrade and central Serbia over the Ibar motorway and Belgrade

- Bar railway.

1.2 Terrain features

Relief zones

Lowland zone, up to 100m above sea level, covers 15-20% of the area in thenorth western part of the municipality ( catchment basin of the river

Kolubara). Its characteristics are soil fertility, flooding of the terrain and

high groundwater level.

Lower hilly zone, between 100 and 200m above sea level. This covers 65%of the municipality. Its characteristics are low energy relief, erosion

phenomena and slope instability. Natural resources include: coal and mineral

deposits, refractory clays and quartz sand, fertile land, forest areas and

groundwater resources of smaller capacity.

Higher hilly zone, above 200m, occupies the central area of the southern partof the municipality ( 20% of the territory )


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2.3 Geology and Hydrogeology

The geological maps show that the whole area comprises a variety of rocks, both in

terms of geological age and their appearance, but also in terms of their chemical

and petrographic composition. The oldest geological rocks include Paleozoic

crystalline schist, then Triassic and Cretaceous limestone, sandstone and marl. The

lower hills comprise of Quarterly and Tertiary sediments like sand, clay,

sandstone, limestone, gravel and coal. Due to the turbulent geological past of this

region, igneous volcanic rocks such as dacite and andesite are very common.

This area is rich in groundwater. The groundwater can be found in:

Alluvial sand and gravel Lakustrine terraces Sands below the coal series

Several mineral water springs were detected in the eastern and south eastern part of

the municipality. Common characteristics of mineral water at the edge of the

Kolubara basin are carbonic acid water and mineralisation over 2g per litre.


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Geology of Lazarevac

Author: Andrea Bilic (2011)


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2.4 Pedology

Soil is not only a support for vegetation but it is also the zone ( pedosphere ) of

numerous interactions between climate (water, air and temperature), soil life

(micro-organisms, plants and animals) and its residues, the mineral material of

parent rock and added rock. Soil attributes determine many vital ecosystem

functions such as soil fertility and the transformation degradation of pollutants.

Soil organisms, such as bacteria, fungi and earthworms are crucial to the role of

biogeochemical cycling of elements such as carbon and nitrogen. It has been

estimated that the top 30cm of one hectare of soil contains an average of 25 tonnes

of soil organisms. (Blum WEH, 1988)

Soil types represented in this territory are agro, stagnosol (pseudogley), cambisol,

vertisol, histosol, chernozem, alluvial, diluvial and alluvial-deluvial deposits of

different origin.


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Soils of Lazarevac

Author: Andrea Bilic (2011).


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2.5 Seismic characteristics

The Kolubara basin is located in a seismically active zone, with the possibility of

earthquakes of significant seismic intensity. According to the official seismological

map, the estimated risk intensity is between 8-9 MCS.

2.6 Hydrology

All the rivers belong to the basin Kolubara. The river Kolubara is 86.4 km long and

has broad alluvial plain, which reaches a width of up to 3km. A small general

decline in the Kolubara river of 0.15% and a large amount of sediment causes the

unsteady flow of the river.

2.7 Nature of surrounding area

This area is rich in forest vegetation. Oak is a dominant species ( lat. Quercus

robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus cerris ) and maple ( lat. Acer kampestre ). Climate

and soil conditions are highly suitable for the cultivation of all major agricultural

crops: corn, vegetables, fruits, sunflower, sugar beet and others.

Fauna is diverse. As for the game, we can find pheasants, rabbits, deer and foxes.

Among domestic animals we find mostly pigs, poultry, cattle, sheep and


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occasionally horses. Waters of this region are rich in fish, especially in parts of the

municipality where there is no significant human activity.

2. National Strategy for Sustainable DevelopmentThe strategic objectives of sustainable land use include:

EU legislation implementation related to the land use and protection. Conservation and improvement of its quality, especially land affected by

industrial, mining, energy, transport and other activities.

Protection from degradation and changes in land use. Agricultural land development.

4. Land quality

Land condition can be evaluated through 4 key aspects:

Display of soil degradation due to mining operations.

Soil contamination by waste material from the plant energy-industrialcomplex.

Land use for agricultural purposes. Landslides, mudslides and erosion.

Surface coal mining completely changed the landscape of this area. Broken

mountain terrain from the eastern part of the basin became flatter due to the

excavation of coal.. And previous flat surfaces of Tamnava have taken the form of

an elevated plateau.

Within two basic classes of automorphic and hydromorphic soils we can allocate

12 soil types. Over 80% of the land in the Kolubara basin belongs to the category


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of arable land. In this area prevalent soil quality is of class IV, which due to its

characteristics ( high level of moisture and non-regulated water regime) can be

classified as moderately suitable for agricultural production, but only after

implementation of some agro-technical and hydraulic engineering techniques.

This area is characterised by soil degradation due to intensive coal mining, which

caused the formation of deposol and technogenic soil. These anthropogenic soils

are formed by tailings disposal, ash disposal and by opencast mining.

Soil quality testing is not done systematically in the Kolubara basin. Previous,

sporadic testing of soil chemical composition, tailings, sludge from wastewater

treatment plants and atmospheric precipitation indicate soil contamination. For a

complete assessment, more detailed and systematic examination is needed.

4.1 Soil and plant contamination

On the initiative of the Ecological Society Vreoci, the Faculty of Agriculture from

Belgrade conducted research in May 1994 in order to define the level of

vulnerability of soil and plants in the villages of Vreoci, Sopic, Medosevac i

Rudovci. Researchers collected and analysed 300 different samples ( soil, plants,

food and sources of pollution). The results are shown in table below.


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Source: LEAP Lazarevac (2006)

High levels of arsenic are found in a number of soil samples taken from the most

vulnerable villages. (above 20mg/kg of soil). Concentration of other metals (Cu,

Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Hg) is slightly increased in relation to the natural, geochemical

composition of agricultural land. Slightly higher nickel content found in the village

Vreoci is a reflection of the natural geochemical composition of the soil and partly

due to atmospheric pollutants accumulation.

It should be noted that soils in different areas have different Ph, which may be

important in mobility, higher solubility of heavy metals and therefore the higher

accumulation in plants.

Concentration of heavy metals in soil samples does not deviate from the norms

prescribed by Regulations on permitted amounts of hazardous and harmful


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substances in soil and water ( O.G. 23/94 RS ). In comparison with the Dutch

Standards, there are differences in terms of concentration of cadmium MM3, MM4

( 40cm depth ), MM5 ( 20 inches deep ), MM7 and nickel MM1 ( 60cm depth ),

MM3 ( 40cm ) and MM5 ( 20cm deep ).

This indicates cadmium and nickel contamination is present on these sites and

according to the Ecology Standards they are considered unsuitable for agriculture.

The food quality depends on the soil composition, water and air quality and

chemicals and fertilisers application method. Mining and metallurgy are sources of

dust that deposits directly on soil and trough nutrients into plants.

The economical situation in the village caused the poor state of agriculture and

adverse environmental conditions. There is no clear concept of strategy and

attitude from the Government towards villages and farmers.


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Ruined soils of Lazarevac

Source: LEAP Lazarevac (2006).


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4.2 Deposol reclamation

Surface coal mining technology has resulted in a number of negative effects. It

caused catastrophic ecological, geo-morphological and hydrological changes andsignificantly affected existing landscape and ecosystems, including anthropogenic

features (fields, meadows, vineyards, orchards) and wildlife (flora and fauna).

Surface coal mining causes a number of problems related to the revitalisation of

degraded areas after coal exploitation occurs. These mines are located in lowland

areas, parts of the basin and alluvial plains that are characterised by high quality

agricultural land and relatively high population density. In order to solve this

problem it is necessary to develop a suitable reclamation plan, reclamation project

development and implement design solutions.

4.3 Landslides, mudslides and erosion

Based on the current situation, recovery of landslide and mudslide requires

considerable resources and continuous professional engagement. It is necessary to

urgently introduce remediation measures to eliminate the consequences of

landslides and mudslides, as well as prepare project documentation and repair

damaged buildings.

A soil risk erosion map for Lazarevac based on slope, run-off and soil texture has

been developed as part of the Local Environmental Action Plan. It classifies over

45 % of Lazarevac as having a moderate inherent risk of erosion and 29%of high

risk. Most high risk soils are organic. The map assumes that the soil surface is

unvegetated and therefore actual erosion events will cover a much smaller area.


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4.4 Improving the application of fertilizers and pesticides on agricultural land

The long-term goal is to establish integrated agricultural farming in the

municipality. Key activities of improvement are database development, theimplementation of pesticide use control and an integrated plant protection system.

It is necessary to establish areas vulnerable to nitrate pollution, such as drinking

water sources. It is also very important to raise awareness of diffuse pollution

among farmers and the public. In addition, it is necessary to introduce monitoring

and controlling use of pesticides and fertilisers. A reduction in use should be

encouraged through promotion of environmentally friendly solutions.

4.5 The introduction of a strategy for sustainable development in agriculture

Analysing the current situation in agriculture, there are a number of actions to be

taken. Some of these are:

In order to control land degradation it is necessary to develop a landmanagement strategic plan

Establish professional services Develop a detailed cadastre of pollutants and sources Create new cadastral land Soil monitoring development and strengthening Agrochemical and microbiological analyses Implementation of protective belts, mulching, liming, contouring, buffer

belts and cover crops

Continuous education and training of farmers


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Application of sustainable agriculture principles means promoting sustainable

agriculture practices and supporting economic development in rural areas.

Conclusion

Environmental degradation problems are increasingly present in our country

today. It is a known fact that JPRB Kolubara and its activity ( coal exploitation,

processing and refinement ) represents the biggest polluter in the Municipality of

Lazarevac.

To protect soils from unsustainable land use practices and pollution, a certain

strategy needs to be developed and implemented. Such a strategy should:

Ensure that soil is recognised as a non-renewable resource Ensure pollutant inputs to soil and land use practices do not irreversibly

affect soil quality

Ensure soil protection is taken into account at all levels of environmentaldecision making

Establish a framework for a soil monitoring programmeTo assess the long-term sustainability of agriculture, it is crucial that accurate

information on the soil resource, such as levels of organic matter, nutrient status

and pH is collected at regular intervals.

It is necessary to develop a suitable reclamation plan, reclamation project and

implement design solutions.


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References

Dusan Gavrilovic (1998); Regional geomorphology, Faculty of Sciences,Belgrade

Aleksandar Djordjevic (2005); Land monitoring, Faculty of Agriculture,Belgrade

Group of authors (2006); Local Environmental Action Plan Lazarevac,Municipality of Lazarevac, Lazarevac.

Group of authors (1994); Soil contamination in Lazarevac area, The Facultyof Agriculture, Belgrade.

Group of authors (2006); Local Environmental Action Plan, Lazarevac.

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