Agricultural Diffuse Pollution and Sustainability in Ergene Basin

Year 2017, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 127 - 134, 25.02.2017

Gokcen Bayrak Yılmaz

Abstract

Limited
waters sources in the world are consumed rapidly, it has been seen that water
sources should be examined with its basin holistically. When Ergene Basin is
examined holistically, it seems to have agricultural area approximately 76% of
the area and a significant production value (64% sunflower and 50% rice) in
grain production in the country. When total consumption of chemical fertilizers
and pesticides in agriculture are analyzed according to the years, an increase
is observed.

In
this study, it is aimed to determine the long term nutrient (total nitrogen- TN
and total phosphorus- TP) loads and consumption of pesticides in Ergene Basin
by years. For this purpose, nutrient loads from agricultural diffuse sources
have been estimated by using chemical fertilizer amounts and conversion
factors, animal numbers and emission factors. The loads from chemical and
natural (animal) fertilizers are 26960 tons/year TN and 3650 tons/year TP in
the year 2015. Also in this study, monitoring stations have been proposed for
the determination of nutrients and other pollutants loads considering
sub-basins and pollution sources for the water sources, air and soil can be
monitored simultaneously.

When the
effects of nutrient loads and pesticides at surface waters and soils in Ergene
Basin are considered both ecologically and socio-economically, it has been
identified that intended use of water sources was changed, agricultural and
aquatic production was negatively affected by deteriorated ecological balance
at surface water. Also, the diffuse pollution from agricultural sources causes
soil contamination. Ecological and economic sustainability of Ergene Basin are
considered to be under a certain threat.

Keywords

Agricultural diffuse pollution, nutrient load, pesticide

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