Publisher : Yash Raghavan
Writer : Rishabh Kurup
At this point in time, humans are very reliant on agricultural and industrial processes to generate commodities and services for what many people may regard to be their most fundamental need. Since the human population has been growing at such a rapid rate, there has been an increase in the quantity of garbage from agriculture and industry that has been getting into bodies of water. Algae consumes nitrates and phosphates, two types of chemicals that are found in high concentrations in agricultural and industrial waste sources. When there is an excessive amount of these chemicals in the environment, it may cause algae to proliferate at an abnormally rapid rate, which can throw aquatic ecosystems out of balance.
Not only does the overgrowth of algae prevent sunlight from reaching the water's surface, but it also leads to a decrease in the amount of oxygen present in the body of water in question. This results in substantial implications that have an effect on the ecology. The presence of sunlight inhibits the process of photosynthesis carried out by phytoplankton, which is essential to the survival of a wide variety of marine organisms since it is their primary source of nutrition. If phytoplankton in the body of water were to perish, it would set off a domino effect that would have a severe impact not just on consumers and prey but also on predators and consumers, perhaps leading to the extinction of all three groups. In addition, the depletion of oxygen levels may progress to the point where it may make the aquatic habitat uninhabitable for a number of different species of animals.
This is called algal growth or eutrophication.
Let's look into some examples of eutrophication:
Lake Taihu (China):
Since China is rapidly urbanising and attempting to grow its economy, this results in massive amounts of industrial activity and, as a direct result of this activity, output. In addition, China is seeing a growth in the public's reliance on meat, which has led to an increase in the quantity of agricultural waste that is ending up in rivers and lakes like lake Taihu. This has led to an increase in the amount of pollution in these bodies of water.
Lake Taihu, which may be found in the southeast region of China, supplies Wuxi city with its potable water supply. The problem is that Taihu has been suffering algal blooms since 1987, and the situation has steadily become worse since that time. Currently, the water quality in Taihu is considered to be quite poor. Because of the eutrophication that had occurred in Lake Taihu, the water that was used to provide drinking water to the people of Wuxi City had to be replaced with water from another source for up to a month.
Now as readers, many of you must be pondering on how exactly YOU as an individual can take steps in order to better the situation.
Pick up your pet waste!
Pet waste contains vast amounts of nitrogen which is what algae feeds off of. If the waste is not cleaned properly, it may make its way through the sewage system ultimately ending up in water bodies. This obviously could contribute to excess amounts of nitrate within the waterbody leading to algae blooms.
Do not throw plant waste onto the streets or directly into the drains!
Leaves and plant waste resulting from activities such as gardening contain vast amounts of nitrogen within them. As with the previous tip, when this makes its way through the drainage and finally into the waterbody, it contributes to algae blooms. Instead what can be done is to utilise the plant waste as natural fertiliser.
Drive Less!
Driving cars cumulatively contributes heavily towards air pollution. The air pollution contains high amounts of nitrogen and CO2. The air pollution makes its way back towards the ground through rain which causes dangerous nutrients such as nitrogen to infiltrate water bodies, possibly causing algae blooms.
Plant!
Plants grown can absorb potential triggers and hazards brought forth by polluted rainwater.
Fertilise Smart!
If you grow your own plants at home and decide to use fertiliser and you live close to a water body. Fertiliser is rich in both nitrates and phosphates making it a very viable trigger for eutrophication in water bodies. Make sure you educate yourself on when and how to utilise fertiliser while gardening. Applying fertiliser right after heavy rain can leave your fertiliser extremely vulnerable to not being absorbed.Noting that Unabsorbed fertiliser could find its way in water bodies, it should be understood that doing so is not a great idea. Applying too much can cause a significant portion of the fertiliser to not be absorbed as well allowing for the surplus to be washed away into the nearest drain by the rain.
If everyone of us does what we are capable of to contribute to the solution, we will be able to stop the eutrophication of the environment and put an end to it when we work together. Our future generations have earned the right to live in a world with flourishing aquatic ecosystems, which will be of tremendous benefit to them in a number of different ways in the years to come. This right will be passed down to them as a result of our actions now. If we educate ourselves and work toward this goal, we will be able to reverse the damage that has been done to the bodies of water that we use, so let's get started!
Sources :
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-09-19/Algae-plagued-lake-in-east-China-gets-cleaner-K6M1Evw1JC/index.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719305303#bb0075
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/lethal-algae-blooms-an-ecosystem-out-of-balance
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211028143654.htm
https://www.nioz.nl/en/research/uu-nioz-projects/harmful-algal-blooms-have-they-really-become-more-frequent
https://www.cdc.gov/habs/environment.html
Comentários