scholarly journals Modification of the Water Quality Index (WQI) Process for Simple Calculation Using the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Method: A Review

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 905
Author(s):  
Naseem Akhtar ◽  
Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir Ishak ◽  
Mardiana Idayu Ahmad ◽  
Khalid Umar ◽  
Mohamad Shaiful Md Yusuff ◽  
...  

Human activities continue to affect our water quality; it remains a major problem worldwide (particularly concerning freshwater and human consumption). A critical water quality index (WQI) method has been used to determine the overall water quality status of surface water and groundwater systems globally since the 1960s. WQI follows four steps: parameter selection, sub-indices, establishing weights, and final index aggregation, which are addressed in this review. However, the WQI method is a prolonged process and applied to specific water quality parameters, i.e., water consumption (particular area and time) and other purposes. Therefore, this review discusses the WQI method in simple steps, for water quality assessment, based on two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods: (1) analytical hierarchical process (AHP); and (2) measuring attractiveness by a categorically based evaluation technique (MACBETH). MCDM methods can facilitate easy calculations, with less effort and great accuracy. Moreover, the uncertainty and eclipsing problems are also discussed—a challenge at every step of WQI development, particularly for parameter selection and establishing weights. This review will help provide water management authorities with useful knowledge pertaining to water usage or modification of existing indicators globally, and contribute to future WQI planning and studies for drinking, irrigation, domestic, and industrial purposes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepjyoti Deb ◽  
Tilottama Chakraborty ◽  
Mrinmoy Majumder

Abstract Water Quality Index elucidates the complexity in assessing water quality by converting the results of various parameters into a single number for a precise interpretation of the condition of concerning water. The present study focuses on implementing Multi-Criteria decision-making techniques, namely, Analytical Hierarchy Process and Analytical Networking Process, in estimating the relative weighted significance values of the water quality parameters based on three novel criteria like Cost, Potability, and Taste. The suggested Water Quality Index technique utilizes these weighted values of the water quality parameters in depicting and expressing the water quality level in the form of an index value. Dissolved Oxygen has emerged as the most persuasive factor in evaluating water quality for drinking purposes in this study. This paper has also suggested modifying the standard weighted arithmetic water quality index for higher accuracy in results. Furthermore, Sensitivity analysis is performed to corroborate the Multi-Criteria Decision Making approach in index assessment. The accuracy of the Water Quality Index analysis shall improve if a fixed set of criteria and their preference are asserted and justified based on which the water quality parameters are ranked. Their weighted significance values will be estimated accordingly.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-182
Author(s):  
Priscila Jackeline Arias Ordonez

In developing countries, tropical wetlands are essential for human livelihoods since they storage and provide freshwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses. Unfortunately, tropical wetlands are subjected to anthropogenic impacts, such as direct discharge of municipal, industrial and livestock wastewater, leading to water pollution, and thus, affecting directly or indirectly people's health. Therefore, water quality assessment of these unique ecosystems using practical tools, such as Water Quality Index (WQI) is of great importance. This study aims to assess the water quality of one tropical Ramsar wetland La Tembladera for human consumption in wet and dry tropical seasons using WQI. This index was calculated using the following physical, chemical, and biological parameters: potential hydrogen (pH), turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chloride ions (Cl-), sulfates (SO42-), nitrates (NO3-), iron (Fe2+), Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), and Clostridium perfringens ( C. perfringens ). The WQI calculations revealed high values for the wet and dry tropical seasons, displaying values of 416.63 and 427.1, respectively. The obtained values indicate that the water of La Tembladera wetland is unsuitable for human consumption. These results might be valuable for legislative decision-makers to develop further recommendations and plans to improve the water quality, either for drinking purposes or other needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David de Andrade Costa ◽  
José Paulo Soares de Azevedo ◽  
Marco Aurélio dos Santos ◽  
Rafaela dos Santos Facchetti Vinhaes Assump

AbstractFifty-four water samples were collected between July and December 2019 at nine monitoring stations and fifteen parameters were analysed to provide an updated diagnosis of the Piabanha River water quality. Further, forty years of monitoring were analysed, including government data and previous research projects. A georeferenced database was also built containing water management data. The Water Quality Index from the National Sanitation Foundation (WQINSF) was calculated using two datasets and showed an improvement in overall water quality, despite still presenting systematic violations to Brazilian standards. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed the most contributing parameters to water quality and enabled its association with the main pollution sources identified in the geodatabase. PCA showed that sewage discharge is still the main pollution source. The cluster analysis (CA) made possible to recommend the monitoring network optimization, thereby enabling the expansion of the monitoring to other rivers. Finally, the diagnosis provided by this research establishes the first step towards the Framing of water resources according to their intended uses, as established by the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Ram ◽  
S. K. Tiwari ◽  
H. K. Pandey ◽  
Abhishek Kumar Chaurasia ◽  
Supriya Singh ◽  
...  

AbstractGroundwater is an important source for drinking water supply in hard rock terrain of Bundelkhand massif particularly in District Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, India. An attempt has been made in this work to understand the suitability of groundwater for human consumption. The parameters like pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, copper, manganese, silver, zinc, iron and nickel were analysed to estimate the groundwater quality. The water quality index (WQI) has been applied to categorize the water quality viz: excellent, good, poor, etc. which is quite useful to infer the quality of water to the people and policy makers in the concerned area. The WQI in the study area ranges from 4.75 to 115.93. The overall WQI in the study area indicates that the groundwater is safe and potable except few localized pockets in Charkhari and Jaitpur Blocks. The Hill-Piper Trilinear diagram reveals that the groundwater of the study area falls under Na+-Cl−, mixed Ca2+-Mg2+-Cl− and Ca2+-$${\text{HCO}}_{3}^{ - }$$ HCO 3 - types. The granite-gneiss contains orthoclase feldspar and biotite minerals which after weathering yields bicarbonate and chloride rich groundwater. The correlation matrix has been created and analysed to observe their significant impetus on the assessment of groundwater quality. The current study suggests that the groundwater of the area under deteriorated water quality needs treatment before consumption and also to be protected from the perils of geogenic/anthropogenic contamination.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isa Baba Koki ◽  
Sharifuddin Md Zain ◽  
Low Kah Hin ◽  
Azman Azid ◽  
Hafizan Juahir ◽  
...  

In this paper, a study on the development  of water quality index of ex-mining ponds was carried out for proper assessment  and utilization of the abundant ex-mining ponds in Malaysia. Heavy metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrophotometer (ICPMS), and physico chemical parameters were analyzed in-situ. Chemometric analysis was successfully applied for the parameter selection process. The water quality index of existing Malaysian river did not accommodate the toxic metal pollutants that dominanted in ex-mining water. The acceptable index should therefore incorporate the metal pollutants in order to evaluate the quality status of ex-mining water for human consumption which is the major point of consideration. Two water quality indices were developed to assess the water quality status of ex-mining ponds with reference to Malaysia’s water quality standard (INWQS). The heavy metal index was comprised of contribution from Pb, As, and Cd as the selected metals, while the physico-chemical parameter index has BOD, pH, DO, and AN. Chemometric analysis revealed the dominance of the selected heavy metals in ex-mining water, and physico-chemical parameters were important in water quality monitoring. Heavy metal water quality index revealed that most ex-mining ponds in Klang Valley were classified to be very poor hence could not be used for human consumption. Due to domestic input in some of the lakes in Klang Valley, the physico-chemical water quality index was in very poor status as well.  In Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, ex-mining ponds and lakes were classified as excellent in both indices.    


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