Northern Ireland is full of scenic landscapes, rich farmland and warm hospitality. From the Causeway Coastal Route to Belfast’s cool music scene, it’s a place of historic myths and unbridled creativity where tourists and locals alike ‘embrace the giant spirit’, as they like to call it.
So that makes it all the more disappointing that one of NI’s stunning natural destinations is dying on an almost apocalyptic scale. Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK, has been becoming increasingly green and toxic. Previously a clear and serene lake, it is now covered in thick blue-green algae that are poisoning not only the lake but right up to Northern Ireland’s north coast.
But how did this happen? There are a few reasons, apparently. Firstly, record temperatures in Northern Ireland this summer have increased water temps and enabled bacteria to cultivate. This is further accelerated with the spread of zebra mussels which filter the water and allow sunlight in. That’s not all, agricultural waste and sewage could also contribute to the growth of the green toxic sludge.
Environmentalists and locals have expressed their concerns, by holding a wake to mark the ‘death’ of the lake in early September. It is a massive call for action, especially when Lough Neagh supplies 40% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water and sustains the region’s eel fishing industry.
Dr Louise Taylor from the campaign group Love our Lough said: ‘Lough Neagh has been treated like a dump and cesspit for decades and generations, it has not been protected. It is the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland and it’s currently in an ecological crisis and it’s now a public health emergency.’
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