Evaluation of Surface Water Quality Indices in Mthatha River Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques
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Keywords:
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Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster, Principal Component Analysis, Water Quality Index, Public Value Benefit, Pollutants
Abstract
Mthatha town of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa has been challenged to address the pollutant issues that are coming from rampant densification and effluent concentration discharge from the Mthatha Correctional Services Centre and the Efata School for the Blind and Deaf which have caused ineffable impaired damage to the Mthatha River Catchment (MRC). This paper is aimed at identifying drivers of poor water quality in the catchment and classified the River’s water quality into different cluster groups for proper pollutant source control measures. Water quality parameters data comprising of pH; conductivity; Phosphorus; Ammonia (NH4-N); Feacals; and E-coli covering 95 percent and 105 percent of the upstream and downstream sections of the River were available at ten monitored sites of the river catchment. These datasets covering eight years 2012-2020 were analysed in this study. Factor analysis as a choice of principal component analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) was used to deduce inferences for the pollutants’ subsequent classification. The results classified the catchment into three different clusters of lower pollutant (LP), medium pollutant (MP), and high pollutant (HP) areas, with PC1 accounting for 84.54% of the total variance from the three components classification. Adaptive catchment managers would find usefulness in the employed statistical tools in ensuring real-time measures for river non-point pollutants sources control that could offer additional benefits in maintaining a safe life above and below water in the preservation of their public values benefit. The study recommends the issuance of compliance notices and non-point pollutant source control measures to improve the water quality (WQ) parameters.
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S¸ener, S¸., E. S¸ener, and A. Davraz (2017). Evaluation of Water Quality Using Water Quality Index (WQI) Method and GIS in Aksu River (SW-Turkey). Science of the Total Environment, 584; 131–144
Snelder, T. H., N. Lamouroux, J. R. Leathwick, H. Pella, E. Sauquet, and U. Shankar (2009). Predictive Mapping of the Natural Flow Regimes of France. Journal of Hydrology, 373(1-2); 57-67
Taherdoost, H., S. Sahibuddin, and N. Jalaliyoon (2022). Exploratory Factor Analysis; Concepts and Theory. Advances in Applied and Pure Mathematics, 27; 375–382
Thakur, R. and R. Jindal (2017). Principal Component Analysis: Productivity and Trophic Status of Some Selected Lakes of Western Himalaya. SSRN ; 1–18
Tripathi, M. and S. K. Singal (2019). Use of Principal Component Analysis for Parameter Selection for Development of a Novel Water Quality Index: A Case Study of River Ganga India. Ecological Indicators, 96; 430–436
Ustao?glu, F., Y. Tepe, and B. Ta¸s (2020). Assessment of Stream Quality and Health Risk in A Subtropical Turkey River System: A Combined Approach using Statistical Analysis and Water Quality Index. Ecological indicators, 113; 105815
Varol, M. (2020). Use of Water Quality Index and Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Evaluation of Water Quality of A Stream Affected by Multiple Stressors: A Case Study. Environmental Pollution, 266; 115417
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WHO (2018). International Standards for Drinking Water. World Health Organisation, Geneva
Wu, Z., X. Wang, Y. Chen, Y. Cai, and J. Deng (2018). Assessing River Water Quality Using Water Quality Index in Lake Taihu Basin, China. Science of the Total Environment, 612; 914–922
Achieng, A., P. Raburu, E. Kipkorir, S. Ngodhe, K. Obiero, and J. Ani-Sabwa (2017). Assessment of Water Quality Using Multivariate Techniques in River Sosiani, Kenya. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189(6); 1–13
Ajayan, A. P., J. W. Rijstenbil, and K. A. Kumar (2018). Water Quality Assessment of an Unexplored Tropical Freshwater System in Thiruvananthapuram, India: A Multivariate Statistical Approach. Springer
Allen, D. C., T. Datry, K. S. Boersma, M. T. Bogan, A. J. Boulton, D. Bruno, M. H. Busch, K. H. Costigan, W. K. Dodds, and K. M. Fritz (2020). River Ecosystem Conceptual Models and Non perennial Rivers: A Critical Review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 7(5); 1473
American Public Health Association (2012). Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater. 23rd Edition. Washington D.C.
Banda, T. D. and M. Kumarasamy (2020). Application of Multivariate Statistical Analysis in the Development of a Surrogate Water Quality Index (WQI) for South African Watersheds. Water, 12(6); 1584
Bora, M. and D. C. Goswami (2017). Water Quality Assessment in Terms of Water Quality Index (WQI): Case Study of the Kolong River, Assam, India. Applied Water Science, 7(6); 3125–3135
Brown, V., D. I. Smith, R. Wiseman, and J. Handmer (2019). Risks and Opportunities: Managing Environmental Conflict and Change. Routledge
Diamantini, E., S. R. Lutz, S. Mallucci, B. Majone, R. Merz, and A. Bellin (2018). Driver Detection of Water Quality Trends in Three Large European River Basins. Science of the Total Environment, 612; 49–62
DWAF (1996). South African Water Quality Guidelines (First Edition). Field Guide
DWAF (2004). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Mthatha Technical Report
Ewaid, S. H., S. A. Abed, and S. A. Kadhum (2018). Predicting the Tigris River Water Quality within Baghdad, Iraq by Using Water Quality Index and Regression Analysis. Environmental Technology and Innovation, 11; 390–398
Hallouin, T., M. Bruen, M. Christie, C. Bullock, and M. Kelly-Quinn (2018). Challenges in Using Hydrology and Water Quality Models for Assessing Freshwater Ecosystem Services: A Review. Geosciences, 8(2); 1–19
Jolliffe, I. T. and J. Cadima (2016). Principal Component Analysis: A Review and Recent Developments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 374(2065); 20150202
Kulshreshtha, A. and P. Shanmugam (2017). Development of Optical Models for Assessing the Trophic Status of Coastal Waters. OCEANS 2017-Aberdeen; 1–7
Likens, G. E. (2013). Biogeochemistry of a Forested Ecosystem. Springer Science and Business Media
Misaghi, F., F. Delgosha, M. Razzaghmanesh, and B. Myers (2017). Introducing a Water Quality Index for Assessing Water for Irrigation Purposes: A Case Study of the Ghezel Ozan River. Science of the Total Environment, 589; 107–116
O’Briain, R. (2019). Climate Change and European Rivers: An Eco-hydromorphological Perspective. Ecohydrology, 12(5); 2099
Panaretos, D., G. Tzavelas, M. Vamvakari, and D. Panagiotakos (2017). Factor Analysis as a Tool for Pattern Recognition in Biomedical Research; A Review with Application in R Software. Journal of Data Science, 16; 615–630
Poff, N. L. and J. K. Zimmerman (2010). Ecological Responses to Altered Flow Regimes: A Literature Review to Inform the Science and Management of Environmental Flows. Freshwater Biology, 55(1); 194–205
Rakotondrabe, F., J. R. N. Ngoupayou, Z. Mfonka, E. H. Rasolomanana, A. J. N. Abolo, and A. A. Ako (2018). Water Quality Assessment in the B´etar´e-Oya Gold Mining Area (East-Cameroon): Multivariate Statistical Analysis Approach. Science of the Total Environment, 610; 831–844
Richter, B. D., J. V. Baumgartner, D. P. Braun, and J. Powell (1998). A Spatial Assessment of Hydrologic Alteration within A River Network. Regulated Rivers: Research and Management: An International Journal Devoted to River Research and Management, 14(4); 329–340
Robert, O., S. Ngodhe, and O. Omondi (2016). Assessment of Primary Productivity, Nutrient Levels and Trophic Status of Kuinet Dam, Kenya. IJFAS Publishers
Rostami, S., J. He, and Q. K. Hassan (2020). Water Quality Response to River Flow Regime at Three Major Rivers in Alberta. Water Quality Research Journal, 55(1); 79–92
Sagan, V., K. T. Peterson, M. Maimaitijiang, P. Sidike, J. Sloan, B. A. Greeling, S. Maalouf, and C. Adams (2020). Monitoring Inland Water Quality Using Remote Sensing: Potential and Limitations of Spectral Indices, Bio-optical Simulations, Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing. Earth-Science Reviews, 205; 103187
S¸ener, S¸., E. S¸ener, and A. Davraz (2017). Evaluation of Water Quality Using Water Quality Index (WQI) Method and GIS in Aksu River (SW-Turkey). Science of the Total Environment, 584; 131–144
Snelder, T. H., N. Lamouroux, J. R. Leathwick, H. Pella, E. Sauquet, and U. Shankar (2009). Predictive Mapping of the Natural Flow Regimes of France. Journal of Hydrology, 373(1-2); 57-67
Taherdoost, H., S. Sahibuddin, and N. Jalaliyoon (2022). Exploratory Factor Analysis; Concepts and Theory. Advances in Applied and Pure Mathematics, 27; 375–382
Thakur, R. and R. Jindal (2017). Principal Component Analysis: Productivity and Trophic Status of Some Selected Lakes of Western Himalaya. SSRN ; 1–18
Tripathi, M. and S. K. Singal (2019). Use of Principal Component Analysis for Parameter Selection for Development of a Novel Water Quality Index: A Case Study of River Ganga India. Ecological Indicators, 96; 430–436
Ustao?glu, F., Y. Tepe, and B. Ta¸s (2020). Assessment of Stream Quality and Health Risk in A Subtropical Turkey River System: A Combined Approach using Statistical Analysis and Water Quality Index. Ecological indicators, 113; 105815
Varol, M. (2020). Use of Water Quality Index and Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Evaluation of Water Quality of A Stream Affected by Multiple Stressors: A Case Study. Environmental Pollution, 266; 115417
Wanda, E. M., B. B. Mamba, and T. A. Msagati (2016). Determination of the Water Quality Index Ratings of Water in the Mpumalanga and North West Provinces, South Africa. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts a/b/c, 92; 70–78
Wang, J., G. Liu, H. Liu, and P. K. Lam (2017). Multivariate Statistical Evaluation of Dissolved Trace Elements and A Water Quality Assessment in the Middle Reaches of Huaihe River, Anhui, China. Science of the Total Environment, 583; 421–431
WHO (2018). International Standards for Drinking Water. World Health Organisation, Geneva
Wu, Z., X. Wang, Y. Chen, Y. Cai, and J. Deng (2018). Assessing River Water Quality Using Water Quality Index in Lake Taihu Basin, China. Science of the Total Environment, 612; 914–922
Authors
Nombuyiselo, M. ., Taiwo, A. O., Abdultaofeek, A. ., & Ikudayisi, A. (2023). Evaluation of Surface Water Quality Indices in Mthatha River Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainability, 7(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.26554/ijems.2023.7.1.1-12
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