Water quality index along the Euphrates between the cities of Al-Qaim and Falluja: A comparative study

Abstract

Water Quality Index (WQI) is a useful and unique method of measuring water quality. It is often used to determine the status of water quality in simple terms (e.g. good or bad, usable or unusable) to assess water quality and evaluate its suitability for different purposes. The research objectives are to assess the spatial variability of the water quality index (WQI) and make comparisons among monitors sites on the Euphrates River in Anbar Governorate. The monitoring and assessment were carried out on eleven sampling sites along the Euphrates River between the cities of Al-Qaim and Fallujah, spatially and temporally, over a period of 4 years from 2010 to 2013. To calculate the WQI, several Physico-chemical parameters, namely, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (T.H), turbidity (TUR), dissolved oxygen (DO), alkalinity (Alk.), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+ ), potassium (K+ ), chloride ion (Cl- ), sulphate ion (SO42- ) and nitrate ion (NO3- ) were analysed in line with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index methodology (CCME WQI). The water quality index values in these stations on the Euphrates River in the study area ranged from fair to a marginal category in the study period. The current results concluded that the alterations existed in the concentration of the Physico-chemical parameters in most months, except January and September, along the Euphrates between the cities of Al-Qaim and Fallujah, as a result of harmful practices. The present study revealed that the Euphrates River water is polluted due to human activities, agricultural run-off, the release of inadequately treated wastewater, making it unsuitable for human consumption unless treated properly.