Zeitschrift für Umweltverschmutzungseffekte und -kontrolle
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Physico-Chemical Attributes and Water Quality Index (WQI) Of Tropical River Systems

Arun Kumar

This paper deals with the physico-chemical attributes and Water Quality Index (WQI) in the lower reaches (L=10 Km) of three tropical river systems, viz, Neyyar, Karamana and Vamanapuram rivers of Kerala State, southwest coast of India. Almost all chemical constituents in the three rivers exhibit wide spatial and temporal variations. The various physico-chemical constituents of the rivers were compared with Indian (ICMR) and international (WHO) standards to assess the quality. Further, the WQI, expressed as a single number, is used to describe overall water quality status using multiple water quality variables like pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), hardness, alkalinity and sulphate. The rivers were categorized into various levels of quality based on WQI. The various natural and anthropogenic sources of river degradation and various management strategies in the study area were also discussed herewith.