Abstract
The integrity of the Blesbok Spruit catchment has been significantly compromised over the past decades, mainly due to the discharge of mining effluent and sewage. This research investigated the hydrological responses, in terms of water quality, in the event of land cover change within the catchment to make predictions on the future sustainability of the region’s water resources with the application of Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis. The quantification of hydrological responses in terms of water quality towards land cover changes has not been completed by previous research studies within the catchment. This research established the catchment’s present state of water quality and formulated PLS model equations to enable the prediction of future concentrations of specific water quality parameters in association with future land cover change. A change in land cover was found to have various negative influences. The retransformation of land cover into natural areas is accompanied with unintended and undesirable effects due to the degradation of the catchment’s buffering capabilities and the absence of the enforcement of the decommissioning of mining operations. For the Blesbok Spruit catchment to avoid a future water predicament, systematic and interdisciplinary measures need to be implemented according to these and other related findings, to ensure the future sustainability of the catchment and the region as a whole.
Highlights
An adequate water supply and an appropriate water quality level are key elements in the good health and well-being of humans and ecosystems, and in social and economic development
This study has focused upon the quantification of these relationships between selected water quality parameters and land cover change with the application of the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression model to formulate model equations for the prediction of water quality
Land cover and land use have been deemed by numerous scientific studies to have an impact on water quality
Summary
An adequate water supply and an appropriate water quality level are key elements in the good health and well-being of humans and ecosystems, and in social and economic development. Water quality is becoming a global concern as a result of the significant role that it plays in economic and social development. The degradation of water translates directly into social and economic impacts and the deterioration of the environment. Even though there have been successes on the local scale in the improvement of water quality, no data suggests that an overall improvement on a global scale has been achieved [1]. The environmental impacts associated with land use change have been widely researched and range from changes in atmospheric composition to the extensive modification of ecosystems. Human activities have transformed the hydrological cycle by providing freshwater for irrigation and for industrial and domestic consumption
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