China's Environmental Protection Ministry has released a report showing almost a fifth of the country's soil is contaminated by cadmium, nickel and arsenic, causing growing concern from the public and the government.

The official study released by the Chinese government showed that 16.1 percent of China's soil and 19.4 percent of its farmlands have been contaminated by various pollutants. The study was conducted for eight years from 2005 to 2013.

Like Us on Facebook

The study was conducted by taking land samples across an area of 6.3 million square kilometers, which is tantamount to two-thirds of the country's total land area. The report said level of pollution ranged from severe to slight.

The report also revealed that nearly 82.8 percent of the polluted land that was covered by the survey was contaminated by inorganic materials.

The release of the official report further heightens concern that the rapid industrialization in the country is causing irreparable environmental damage. The report was previously classified as a state secret because of its sensitivity.

On its website, the Environmental Protection Ministry said the survey result showed that the country's state of soil is not something that the government and the public should be optimistic about.

The ministry added that some of the country's regions have suffered deteriorating land quality and serious soil pollution due to several years of industrial development, which resulted to high pollutant emissions.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the grim situation of the country's land has triggered the government to soon implement a soil pollution plan and other measures that would address China's land pollution problem.

The agency said severe pollution was noticed in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the northeast corner, all major industrial zones.

The report on China's land pollution was released at a time that the government is still battling the growing problem of air pollution in major cities, especially in the capital Beijing, which has already turned off investors.

TagsSoil pollution