5.
Summary
From the above-mentioned suggestions, it can be concluded that the
management of agricultural practices is required to adapt to the whole
catchment region. The essential features of nutrient runoff from
croplands should be taken into consideration for the protection of the
lake water quality. Pollution abatement methods, continuous monitoring
of point sources pollution, and laying demonstrations to enlighten the
public perception towards lake degradation would be beneficial.
This paper serves as an initial discussion of the diffuse pollution in
the Kolleru Lake catchment. The results of SWAT modeling showed that
28% of the highest NO3-N load contributed from the
Ramileru basin, and 32% of TP load from the Thammileru basin, which
make them to the critical river basins of diffuse pollution. Among them,
the average load of individual sub-basins is estimated. This study
indicated that diffuse pollutions are mainly governed by agricultural
runoff. Apart from that, HRU priority level critical sources of
NO3-N and TP were identified against the village
communities. Besides, the first and second priority levels of BMPs of
diffuse sources were highlighted. These results improve the
understanding of pollution levels and targeting control measures of
critical priority areas in the Kolleru Lake catchment. The communication
between the stakeholders and water quality managers are required for
knowledge exchange. This is a basis for a profound understanding of the
ecological crisis of lake degradation levels, and a prerequisite for the
development of further implementation measures.
Data availability statement: The authors would like to share
the data based on request.