Fertilizers provide three essential nutrients required by plants like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The use of fertilisers has helped farmers to get better yield of crops such as wheat, paddy and maize.

However, in case fertilizer is used in excess, it causes significant issues. One of the main problems of excess fertilizer is water pollution. Nitrogen fertilizers break down into nitrates and travel easily through the soil. Being water-soluble it can remain in groundwater for many years. Groundwater contamination has been linked to gastric cancer, goitre, birth malformations, and stomach cancer.