Publication

Abstract : Pollution of water bodies will have dire consequences on an already water stressed country like India. Multiple parameters like pH, hardness, dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand etc. are measured to assess water quality. However, it is difficult for a layman to understand the significance of the various parameters being monitored by the Pollution Control Board. Water Quality Index, which encompasses the impact of these physical and chemical parameters on the quality of a water sample, can be used as an effective tool to convert convoluted parameters into a more comprehensible form. This study develops a generalized and reliable C language code to quickly compute the Water Quality Index for different water bodies. The Water Quality Index is calculated, using the code, for some of the rivers in key geographic locations of Kerala. It has been found that most of the rivers in the central part of Kerala like rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha are of poor water quality, while most of the rivers in the southern part of Kerala are of good water quality. Some of the rivers in northern part of Kerala like rivers Kadalundi have good water quality, while rivers like Chaliyar have poorer water quality. The comparison of two models for calculating the Water Quality Index is also presented.