IMPACT OF LAND USE ON WATER QUALITY IN THE ALAGADO RIVER BASIN: A TEMPORAL AND REGIONAL ANALYSIS

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.973532517026

• Palavras-chave: Water pollution; Diffuse loads; Environmental management; Environmental sanitation; Land use and occupation.

• Keywords: Water pollution; Diffuse loads; Environmental management; Environmental sanitation; Land use and occupation.

• Abstract:

  The aim of this work was to estimate and compare the diffuse loads of pollutants in the Alagado River basin over time (1985, 2005 and 2022), using geoprocessing and export coefficients, and to evaluate temporal variations and by federal unit (DF and GO). Land use and occupation maps from the MapBiomas Platform and export coefficients from Moruzzi et al. (2012) were used. The MQUAL 1.5 model was applied to calculate the daily contribution of pollutants based on the area of each type of land use. In 2022, the DF had total loads of phosphorus (30.41 Kg/Km².day), nitrogen (375.54 Kg/day), BOD (1084.70 Kg/day), suspended solids (22451.62 Kg/day) and total coliforms (6.64 x 10¹² Kg/day). GO showed loads of phosphorus (45.40 Kg/day), nitrogen (488.31 Kg/day), BOD (1211.35 Kg/day), suspended solids (30970.42 Kg/day) and total coliforms (1.01 x 10¹³ Kg/day). Agricultural activities, urban expansion and pastures are the main sources of diffuse pollution, requiring environmental management strategies to ensure the quality of the region's water resources. Environmental management strategies include soil conservation practices, recovery of degraded areas, conservation of natural areas, environmental education, monitoring and enforcement, as well as the expansion of rainwater drainage and sewage treatment infrastructure, ensuring the quality of the region's water resources. It is essential to carry out research to develop specific and calibrated export coefficients for the region, improving the accuracy of the analyses.