Avaliação da qualidade da água na bacia do rio Doce: conhecimento atual e sua relação com o uso e cobertura do solo

Abstract

With population growth and urbanization there is an increase in anthropogenic impacts and consequent acceleration of the water quality degradation. To conserve this resource, it is essential to identify the sources of impact on watercourses. In the Doce River basin, the collapse of the Fundão dam stands out as one of the biggest environmental disasters of anthropogenic origin. However, the basin has a long occupation history which has significantly altered the landscape introducing other sources of pollution. Although there is a lot of research on water quality in the basin, this knowledge has not been synthesized and other factors such as land use and land cover have been little investigated. Therefore, a systematic review of articles published on the Web of Science and Scopus databases was carried out and the interaction between land use and water quality in the Doce River and Santo Antônio River was investigated through quarterly collections of water quality parameters and the classification of uses and covers in the riparian zone of these two rivers. The water quality in the Doce River is degraded, and the dam collapse is not the only agent of degradation. Furthermore, knowledge about the other rivers in the basin and about other pollutants and their sources is outdated. Regarding land use and land cover, forests are related to lower values of turbidity, conductivity, inorganic carbon, and nitrate. On the other hand, forestry, farming, and urban areas are related to water quality degradation. Thus, promoting the reforestation of riparian zones is an effective strategy for mitigating the impacts of human activities, especially if done with native species.