Question

One of the causes of water pollution is that farmers use excessive amounts of which of the following?
A) Manure and water
B) Fertilizers and pesticides
C) Fertilizers and seeds
D) Pesticides and seeds

Answer 1

Agriculture is the largest user of freshwater resources across the globe taking up $70\%$ of all surface water supplies. This also means that excessive usage of water pollutants in agriculture practices can contribute heavily to water pollution.

Complete answer:
The excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in the crops can contribute heavily to water pollution. During rains this agricultural water comes to the water bodies and this causes excessive accumulation of NPK fertilizers and pesticides leading to water pollution. This later on will contribute to the formation of algal blooms in these water bodies. When this contaminated water gets into the bodies of fishes, it also affects the aquatic life and therefore affects the human and other living bodies.

**Therefore, the answer is fertilizers and pesticides i.e. option B.

Additional information: **
Discharge of industrial and domestic waste, radioactive waste, atmospheric deposition, leakage from water tanks, agricultural waste etc are some of the major sources contributing to water pollution. In addition to this, heavy materials that are disposed of, industrial waste gets accumulated in rivers and seas harming humans and animals.

Note:
Farmers using excessive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides contributes towards the increase of water pollution. This is because these chemicals flow into the rivers and seas during rains contaminating the water bodies and affecting human and marine life.