Although water is seemingly abundant in the world, most of it is not suitable for human use due to water pollution. Humans are constantly polluting water resources, which has been a major factor in rapidly decreasing water supply. Pollution is defined as the process by which harmful substances are added to the environment. In this essay, I will be focusing on agricultural activities, which is commonly referred to as farming. Water pollution from agriculture is a serious problem, and in some parts of the world, water pollution from agriculture have already reached a level that has caused many health problems in humans. Every 20 seconds, a child dies from water related illnesses, such as diarrhoea. Population growth, urbanisation, climate change,
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Lake Taihu is a lake located in eastern China, and it is the third largest freshwater lake in the country. For twenty years, it has been filled with algae due to eutrophication. By 1983, 40% of the total length of the Taihu river was polluted, and by 1996, the figure had risen to 86%, which was the highest in the Chinese water system. (Liang, G., 2012; He, H., 2012) This is because from the year 1993, the Taihu lake had suffered eutrophication. The fertilizers from the nearby farms were not absorbed by the crops and were washed into the lake by rainwater. The nitrates and phosphates in the fertilizers enhanced the growth of algae and water plants, leading to the increased growth and multiplication of algae and floating water plants in the lake. Organic pollution at the water surface rose from 1% in 1987 to 29% in 1994. (Liang, G., 2012; He, H., 2012) In June 2007, Lake Taihu had an algae bloom that was dozens of centimetres thick, causing tap water to turn yellow and foul. The drinking water in Wuxi was also polluted. Since then, algal blooms have happened every year. Even though major government efforts had been put into cleaning up the lake and preventing water pollution from the agricultural activities, the lake still remains polluted and filled with …show more content…
One example is organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is a type of farming that is more environmentally friendly as compared to crop and industrialised agriculture as it minimizes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in the production process. Instead, it relies on other techniques such as crop rotation and biological pest control to prevent pests and diseases. Without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, eutrophication would not occur as rainwater would not wash away any chemicals into nearby water
Lake Taihu is a lake located in eastern China, and it is the third largest freshwater lake in the country. For twenty years, it has been filled with algae due to eutrophication. By 1983, 40% of the total length of the Taihu river was polluted, and by 1996, the figure had risen to 86%, which was the highest in the Chinese water system. (Liang, G., 2012; He, H., 2012) This is because from the year 1993, the Taihu lake had suffered eutrophication. The fertilizers from the nearby farms were not absorbed by the crops and were washed into the lake by rainwater. The nitrates and phosphates in the fertilizers enhanced the growth of algae and water plants, leading to the increased growth and multiplication of algae and floating water plants in the lake. Organic pollution at the water surface rose from 1% in 1987 to 29% in 1994. (Liang, G., 2012; He, H., 2012) In June 2007, Lake Taihu had an algae bloom that was dozens of centimetres thick, causing tap water to turn yellow and foul. The drinking water in Wuxi was also polluted. Since then, algal blooms have happened every year. Even though major government efforts had been put into cleaning up the lake and preventing water pollution from the agricultural activities, the lake still remains polluted and filled with …show more content…
One example is organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is a type of farming that is more environmentally friendly as compared to crop and industrialised agriculture as it minimizes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in the production process. Instead, it relies on other techniques such as crop rotation and biological pest control to prevent pests and diseases. Without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, eutrophication would not occur as rainwater would not wash away any chemicals into nearby water