Water quality index for assessment of water quality of river ravi at Madhopur (India)

Water quality of River Ravi, a tributary of Indus River System was evaluated by Water Quality Index (WQI) technique. A water quality index provides a single number that expresses overall water quality at a certain location and time based on several water quality parameters. The objective of an index is to turn complex water quality data into information that is understandable and useable by the public. Eight most important parameters such as pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, calcium(Ca), magnesium (Mg), total alkalinity, dissolved oxygen (DO) and electrical conductivity (EC) were taken for the calculation of WQI. The WQI values for the River Ravi ranged from 54.8 to 97.88. The values of WQI showed that the water was free of any impurities at the sampling site except for 2-3 months where its values were less than 70. Whenever there are human activities e.g., dam operations, water gets polluted to some extent, so the value of WQI decreases. It was found that the parameter which is required in least amount contributes a high statistical value to the index. It is concluded that WQI can be used as a tool in comparing the water quality of different sources. It gives the public a general idea of the possible problems with water in a particular region. The indices are  among the most effective ways to communicate the information on water quality trends to the public or to the policy makers and water quality management. KEYWORDS: WQI, River Ravi, Madhopur, India