Much of Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in the UK and Ireland, has been coated in deadly blue-green algal blooms that resemble pea soup and smell like rotten eggs for the third year in a row.
Locals who live close to the Northern Ireland monument, however, claim that this summer has seen the worst of the thick green veneer, which is so pervasive that it can be seen from space.
At Ballyronan, on its western shore, open water swimmer Mary O’Hagan told AFP, “The lake is dying,” while ducks fought over slippery green-coated rocks.
Experts claim that the increase of algae, which is fueled by sewage, industrial, and agricultural pollution as well as climate change, has destroyed fishing and water sports and raised questions about the safety of drinking water.
