Salting the earth

Salting the earth, or sowing with salt, is the act of spreading salt on fields to make them unsuitable for cultivation. This practice is a form of chemical warfare that damages the environment and makes the land uninhabitable for plants and most forms of life.

History

The earliest known instance of salting the earth dates back to the Ancient Near East. The Assyrians, known for their brutal warfare tactics, are said to have salted the earth of their enemies to symbolize a curse on their lands. The practice is also mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Judges, where Abimelech, the king of Shechem, is recorded to have salted the city after capturing and destroying it.

In the Roman Empire, it is often claimed that the Romans salted the earth of Carthage after defeating it in the Punic Wars, but this is a myth. There is no ancient Roman text that mentions this practice.

Modern Instances

In modern times, salting the earth is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. However, there have been instances where it has been used, such as by Kuomintang in China during the Chinese Civil War, and by Iraq during the Gulf War when they set fire to Kuwaiti oil wells, which resulted in the contamination of the soil with salt.

Effects

Salting the earth has devastating effects on the environment. It leads to soil salinity, which makes the land unfit for cultivation. It also affects the local biodiversity, as many plants and animals cannot survive in high salt conditions. Moreover, it can lead to water pollution, as the salt can seep into groundwater and surface water sources, making them unsuitable for consumption.

See Also

• Deforestation
• Desertification
• Environmental degradation
• Soil erosion