Environmental impact of quarrying on soil quality in Ebonyi State, south-eastern Nigeria

The activities of quarrying in Ebonyi State have resulted in the loss of soil nutrients and an increase in soil pollution. This paper examines the environmental impact of quarrying on soil quality in the three zones of Ebonyi State, south-eastern Nigeria. To achieve the main aim of the study, three objectives were set: access the environmental impact of quarrying on the soil quality of the three zones of Ebonyi district; examine the physico-chemical properties of the soil; and evaluate the environmental impact of quarrying on the heavy metal content of the soil. The auger and core samples were collected at a depth of 20 cm to obtain physicochemical soil properties and heavy metal content. The generated data were subjected to factor analysis, which consists of a correlation matrix, KMO and Bartlett’s test, communalities, total variance, scree plot, and component matrix. The major results showed that quarrying has significantly negatively impacted the soils of the three zones of Ebonyi State, as it has led to distortions in soil quality. The results also proved that soil quality within 0–50 m of quarry sites was found to be poorer than in the control area. Positive correlation matrix studies between the quarry locations revealed a common origin of pollution and the negative impact of quarry activities on soil. Based on the results, the study strongly recommends that such soils not be used for agricultural production unless remediation methods are in place, such as bioremediation, soil washing, and thermal desorption.