Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Livestock and Poultry Farming Pollution and Assessment of the Environmental Pollution Load in Anhui Province

Abstract

Anhui Province is located in the eastern China, in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and contains three major basins, i.e., the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, and Xin’an River basins. Based on the statistical data of livestock and poultry quantity and farmland area in Anhui Province in 2019, ArcGIS was used to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of the livestock and poultry excreta (LPE) pollutants in Anhui Province in order to explore the potential pollution risk posed by livestock and poultry farming to the farmland and the water environment in Anhui Province. The equivalent pollution load method was adopted to compare and assess the release of LPE pollutants in various cities and to analyze the causes. Through the calculation of the farmland carrying capacity load and early warning value of LPE and the water load of livestock and poultry pollutant release based on the equivalent pollution index method, a comprehensive assessment of the potential pollution risk posed by livestock and poultry farming on farmland and the water environment in Anhui Province was carried out. In this study, the spatial distribution of the livestock and poultry pollution in Anhui Province was analyzed, the effect of the pollution load of the livestock and poultry on the cultivated land and water environment was evaluated, and suggestions for environmental protection measures are provided. The results of this study revealed that the total pig equivalent of the livestock and poultry farming in Anhui Province was 55,068,400 and the LPE output was 47,778,600 t in 2019. The LPE pollutant output was 1,707,700 t, and the total release was 510,400 t. The release of pollutant chemical oxygen demand (COD) accounted for 71.67% of the total release. The average farmland load of the pig manure equivalent was 8.09 t/hm2 in the province. The average pollutant diffusion concentration of in the water was 31.63 mg/L. The average equivalent pollution index of LPE was 5.23, indicating a mild pollution impact on the water environment. Overall, the spatial distribution of the LPE pollutant output and pig manure equivalent farmland load in Anhui Province increased from south to north. Fuyang and Suzhou cities had a high risk of water environment pollution and should be the key regions for livestock and poultry pollution prevention and control measures. The optimization of the layout of livestock and poultry farming areas, smoothing the cycles of crop and livestock farming, and the vigorous promotion of the resource utilization of the LPE are proposed.