Eutrophication refers to the development of algal in water bodies due to an increase in nutrients in the environment, which flow to the rivers and lakes. The growth of algal is contributed to by the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients (Goel, 2006).
The main contributor to Eutrophication as a form of water pollution is the increase in nitrogen and phosphorus in the atmosphere. Eutrophication is a process that occurs regularly, but due to human activities, more nutrients are generated hence increasing the growth rate of algae in lakes. Population growth, which has lead to food scarcity, has prompted human beings to develop different ways of feeding themselves by increasing the use of fertilizers to increase production. Since fertilizers are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients, the excess amounts used and not utilized find their way to lakes and other water bodies in the environment (Helmes et al, 2012).
The nutrients mentioned above contribute to a high growth of algae in the water bodies exposed, which in turn reduces the water percentage in lakes. This leads to a decrease in the number of aquatic animals such as fish since their habitats are destroyed. Additionally, oxygen, which is used by aquatic animals, is consumed by algae (Goel, 2006). This type of pollution affects the population economically, for example, water shortages in nearby places can be contributed to algae growth. The affected country has to look for ways of supplying water to the population (Le et al, 2008).
References
Goel, K. (2006).Water Pollution: Causes, Effects and Control. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd.
Helmes, K. J., Huijbregts, A. J., Henderson, D. and OJolliet, O. (2012). Spatially explicit fate factors of phosphorous emissions to freshwater at the global scale. Int J Life Cycle Assess, Vol. 17. Pp. 646–654.
Le, C., Zha, Y., Li, Y., Sun, D., Lu, H. and Yin, B. (2010). Eutrophication of Lake Waters in China: Cost, Causes, and Control. Environmental Management, Vol. 45. Pp. 662–668.
