TITLE:
Tigris River Water Quality Quantifying Using the Iraq Water Quality Index (IraqWQI) and Some Statistical Techniques
AUTHORS:
Nadhir Al-Ansari, Salam Hussein Ewaid, Ali Chabuk, Salwan Ali Abed, Mudhafar A. Salim, Jan Laue, Riyadh M. Salih
KEYWORDS:
Component, Formatting, Style, Styling
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.16 No.6,
June
20,
2024
ABSTRACT: Evaluation of water quality is important for the management of water resources. The current study is focused on the interpretation of the water quality monitoring data of the Tigris River in Iraq by the application of the principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA), and water quality index (WQI). Twelve water quality parameters were taken from 14 stations along the river Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−,
SO
4
2−
,
HCO
3
−
,
NO
3
−
, TH, TDS, BOD5, and EC to apply the PCA and CA. The results show that the mean of all the parameters was under the standards except Ca2+, EC, Mg2+, TH, and
SO
4
2−
. The amount of EC is the critical factor that affects the river water quality. The PCA obtained one principal component responsible for 97% of the variation caused by different pollution sources. The CA divided the river into three regions of sampling stations with similar water quality, the best in the north, and the worst in the far south. In this paper, the computer-automated tool (IraqWQI) was presented and evaluated, which has been developed by authors to classify and measure the quality of Iraqi surface water. The proposed index is of hundred degrees and includes six variables for drinking water quality Cl−, TH, TDS, COD, DO, and total coliform (TC) according to the Iraqi specifications. The result of the IraqWQI application showed a decrease in the water quality of the river and its suitability for drinking in the south of the country. The best value of the index was (81.48, Good) in Fishkhabour during winter, and the worst value was (46.23, Bad) in Qurnah during summer. The result of this study proved the success and importance of using statistical techniques and WQI as useful tools for the management, control, and conservation of surface water.