Integrating Land use and Water quality for Environmental based land use planning for U-tapao River Basin, Thailand

Land use changes are the results of complex interactions such as policy, management, economics, culture, human behavior, and environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of land use changes on surface water quality of river. This study integrated a decade of available land use and water quality data to examine relationships between land use changes and surface water quality. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of land use on water quality of river. The study noted significant relationship between water quality and land use and the abilities of land use indication to explain water quality. Urban and agriculture land uses had strong positive relationship with concentrations of water pollutants. Forest land use had positive relationship with water quality. The results identified the clear relationship between land use and the water quality indicators which can be used in environmental protection and land use planning. The findings of this study will be useful for policy makers, planners, and researchers to unveil the pollution, to adapt environmental and land use polices for sustainable development of river basin. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.