Question

Why is excess use of fertilizers detrimental to the environment?

Answer 1

Excessive use of fertilisers has various deleterious effects on the environment.

1. Fertilisers change soil chemistry: Excessive use of fertilisers in long run degrades the quality of soil and disturbs the ecosystem. The unused part of the fertiliser makes the soil either alkaline or acidic, depending upon its nature.
2. Fertilisers cause water pollution: High doses of these chemicals get washed off through irrigation and rainfall as drainage reaches rivers, lakes, streams and other water bodies and pollute them. In the water bodies, these salts increase the growth of algae (algal bloom). The algae deoxygenate the water, making it unfit for aquatic animals.