Application of Water Quality Index (WQI) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in Assessment of Water Quality Status of River Gongola at Yamaltu Deba, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Water quality is a term used to express the suitability of water to sustain various uses. There are still however activities that release large amounts of pollutants into the environment. The Majority of people however are unaware of the effects of residing in an environment where these chemicals are present. Therefore the objective of this study was to assess the surface water quality of River Gongola at Yamaltu-Deba, Gombe state, Nigeria using Water Quality Index (WQI) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA)  where water samples were collected from four study location for the period of 18 months and the physical and chemical parameters were checked using standard laboratory procedures. Of all the parameters analysed, turbidity and total dissolved solids (TSS) were the highest, above standard limit. Other parameters were within range. WQI results showed that stations 1. 3 and 4 were categorized as very poor water quality (76-100) and station 2 as unsuitable for drinking (above 100). The major parameters that contributed to such bad water quality were turbidity, TSS, and DO. DO rating became higher in the WQI calculation because of the high turbidity and TSS in the water body. PCA analysis showed that most parameters correlated positively with each other and parameters such as EC, TDS, TH, Turbidity, TSS and BOD contributed most to the contamination of the water and thus these parameters can be attributed to both anthropogenic (especially agricultural activities) and natural sources. This study indicated that the water at this location is not of good quality and therefore regular monitoring and public education on the dangers of human activities that renders water unfit for use by human and biota is recommended.