International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),

ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
41











ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY INDEX FOR EUPHRATES RIVER
WITHIN BABYLON PROVINCE, IRAQ DURING THE PERIOD 2007-2013


Hadeel Ali Abdulhussein Al Saleh

Department of civil engineering/ college of engineering
Babylon University/Hillah, Iraq



ABSTRACT

This paper deals with the quality of Euphrates river for drinking purposes by determining the
water quality index WQI. Fourteen physic-chemical water quality parameter from four water quality-
monitoring stations along Euphrates river were monthly monitored during the study period (2007-
2013) to compute the WQI in order to assess the suitability of the river water for drinking and human
consumption. The water quality index provides a simple method for estimating the water quality for
different uses and it is very important for river quality monitoring. Water bodies are usually taken as
the sink for dumping domestic, agriculture and industrial wastes, therefore, a regular monitoring for
maintaining acceptable quality of these resources is of important human health and environmental
concerns.
The water quality index in this study was calculated to evaluate the water quality at four
sampling stations. The results of mean WQI were lower than 68 during the period of study for all
stations, the lowest WQI values were observed in Saddat Al-Hindiyah and Hashmia stations.
Euphrates river water quality is generally rated "good", range (50-100) except in year 2012, the water
quality of Euphrates river tends to be excellent, mean annual WQI values ranged from 50.53 at
2012 to 79.15 at 2013.
The highest water quality was in January and February for years (2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012)
with WQI values less than 50 which makes the river water quality considered as excellent, while
the lowest water quality was in September 2007 and June 2013 during the whole study period with
results of 101.66 and 111.49 which classify The river water quality as poor water

Key words: water quality index, water quality, weighted arithmetic index, physic-chemical
parameters.



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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
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1. INTRODUCTION

Over the years of time, river has been subjected to human interference regularly and water
quality was to be getting deteriorated profoundly. Major anthropogenic activities practiced in and
around the river: agriculture, abstraction of water for irrigation and drinking, washing cloths and
utensils, discharging of sewage waste, sand dredging, boating, and fishing activities along the river
were generating serious threat to the biota by altering the physicochemical and biological
concentration of the river system [1].
Polluted river water means affected physico-chemical parameters, which will have drastic
negative impact on the health of community residing in the nearby region and using this water for
various purposes. So it is must to monitor river water time to time to observe its pollution status and
pollution causing factors. Such studies can be of much significance in making the mass aware of
deteriorating river water quality and about their use of water for various purposes [2]. In addition,
once the surface water is contaminated, its quality cannot be restored by stopping the pollutants from
the source. It therefore becomes imperative to regularly monitor the quality of the water and to
device ways and means to protect it [3].
Assessment of surface water quality can be a complex process undertaking multiple
parameters capable of causing various stresses on overall water quality. Bharti and Katyal, 2011, [4]
so conventional approaches to assess water quality based on a comparison of experimentally
determined parameter values does not readily give an overall view of the spatial and temporal trends
in the overall water quality in a watershed [5].
Water quality index is one of the most effective tools to communicate information on the
quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers. It thus, becomes an important
parameter for the assessment and management of surface water [6]. The objective of an index is to
turn multifaceted water quality data into simple information that is comprehensible and useable by
the public. Water quality index was first formulated by Horton (1965) and later on used by several
workers for the quality assessment of different water resources [7]. Water quality index can also be
used to aggregate data on water quality parameters at different times and in different places and to
translate this information into a single value defining the period of time and spatial unit involved [8].
Water quality index method (WQI) is one of the most widely used ways to assess the quality
of surface as well as underground water. Many researchers have used this method worldwide to
assess the quality of water in various fields such as rivers and surface waters [9, 10], aquifers and
underground water [11, 12]. In Iraq, many studies have been conducted to assess the surface water
quality, Shaymaa and Ayad in 2012 [13], made a study to predict the quality of Euphrates river
water, Ahmad et. al. in 2012 [14] determined the WQI for Qalyasan stream in Sulaimani city/
Kurdistan region of Iraq, raw and treated water quality of Tigris river within Baghdad was evaluated
by [8].
Euphrates River is of particular importance in the evaluation of surface water quality in Iraq
because the anthropogenic and recreational activities bringing about considerable change in the river
water quality and pose a serious threat on the river water quality.
The aim of this study is to determine temporal and spatial changes in the quality of Euphrates
River water in Iraq using the Water Quality Index method to analyze some selected physic-chemical
parameters in order to assess the suitability of water for drinking purposes for a monitoring period of
seven years (2007-2013).





International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
43

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. STUDY AREA
Iraq is a country with relatively abundant renewable and non-renewable water resources.
Nevertheless, during the past 30 years, Iraq has shifted from being water secure to a water-stressed
country. The water resources in Iraq are composed of surface water, groundwater, rain and snow fall,
marshlands, lakes and reservoirs, and drainage water [15].
Euphrates River is one of two major rivers flowing through Iraq. It originates in Turkey, runs
through Syria, entering Iraq from the western border and discharge in Shat Al-Arab. It travels a
distance of 2,700 kilometers before flowing into the Arab Gulf. The water of the river is used for
drinking, irrigation, recreation and fishing. Unfortunately, the seasonal distribution of the availability
of water does not coincide with the irrigation requirements of the basin. In an average year, the river
reaches its peak flow in April and May as the winter mountain precipitation melts [16, 17].
Four sampling stations for water quality monitoring were established along the river course in
Babylon governorate (Musayib, Saddat Al-Hindiyah, Hillah and Hashmia) as shown in Figure (1).
The details of sampling stations are listed in Table (5).
























Fig. (1): Map of the study area showing the locations of water quality monitoring stations along
Euphrates river within Babylon proviance

2.2. WATER QUALITY DATA
The water quality data used in this study were provided by (Ministry of Environment
Department of Protect and Improve The Environment in The Middle Euphrates Region), which cover
a period of (7) years from 2007 to 2013 and comprised the monthly average values for (14) water
quality parameters, include ( pH value, Total Alkalinity(Alk), Orthophosphate (PO
4
), Nitrate (NO
3
),
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
44

Sulphate (SO
4
), Chloride (Cl), Total Hardness (TH), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na),
Potassium (K), Turbidity (Tur.), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)).

2.3. METHODOLOGY OF CALCULATING WATER QUALITY INDEX (WQI)
The Water Quality Index (WQI) for Euphrates River was calculated using the Weighted
Arithmetic Index method based on the calculations adopted by [6, 14, 18, and 19].
In the first step, the quality rating scale (qi) for each parameter was computed by using the
equation:

Quality rating, Qi = 100 [(Va -Vi) / (Vs -Vi)].. (1)

Where,
Qi = Quality rating of ith parameter for a total of n water quality parameters
Va= Actual value of the water quality parameter obtained from laboratory analysis
Vi = Ideal value of that water quality parameter, all the ideal values (Vi) are taken as zero except for
pH=7, DO=14.6 mg/L.
Vs = Recommended Iraqi standards of the corresponding water quality parameter.
Secondly, the Relative (unit) weight (Wi) was calculated by a value inversely proportional to the
recommended standard (Si) for the corresponding parameter.

Wi = 1/ Si (2)

Where,

Wi = Relative weight for ith parameter
Si= Standard permissible value for each parameter

Finally, the overall WQI was calculated by aggregating the quality rating (Qi) with the
Relative unit weight (Wi) linearly by using the following equation:

WQI = QiWi/ Wi . (3)

Generally, WQI is discussed for a specific and intended use of water. In this study the WQI
for human consumption is considered and permissible WQI for the drinking water is taken as 100,
table (1) explains water quality classification based on WQI value [19] while table (2) shows the
recommended standards and the relative weight for each water quality parameter.

Table (1): Water Quality Classification Based On WQI Value (Bhaven et. al., 2011)
WQI Value Water Quality
<50 Excellent
50-100 Good water
100-200 Poor water
200-300 Very Poor water
>300 Water unsuitable for drinking




International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
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Table (2): Water Quality Parameter Standards And Their Corresponding Relative Weights
Water quality parameters Standard value (Si) Relative Weight (wi)
PH 8.5 0.117647
ALK 200 0.005
CL 350 0.002857
T.D.S 1000 0.001
T.H 500 0.002
Ca 150 0.006667
Mg 100 0.01
Na 200 0.005
K 10 0.1
NO
3
50 0.02
PO
4
0.4 2.5
SO
4
400 0.0025
DO 5 0.2
TUR 5 0.2

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In the present study the Water Quality Index was calculated using the Weighted Arithmetic
Index method based on (14) physical and chemical water quality parameter at four stations located
along the Euphrates river which include pH, Total Alkalinity, Chloride, Total Dissolved Solids, Total
Hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Dissolved Oxygen , Nitrate, Orthophosphate,
Sulphate and Turbidity. These parameters were studied according to their importance for water
quality. The Iraqi standards are followed for water quality parameter values.
The results of the computed monthly WQI values along Euphrates river obtained from this
study are shown in table (3) and figure (2). The highest water quality was in January and February
for years (2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012) with WQI values less than 50 which makes the river water
quality considered as excellent , while the lowest water quality was in September 2007 and June
2013 during the whole studied period with results of 101.66 and 111.49 which classify the river
water quality as poor water and so unsuitable for drinking, this may be related to the extensive uses
of the river water during the hot summer months in the human activities leading to increasing city
sewage discharge. Other WQI values ranged from 50 to 99.













Fig. (2): Monthly WQI variations along Euphrates river within Babylon province during the study
period
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
46

Table (3): Monthly WQI along Euphrates River within Babylon province during 2007-2013
Year,
Month
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Mean WQI
1 44.37 62.42 46.96 61.01 46.01 45.94 58.69 52.20
2 48.72 62.58 50.42 57.79 48.32 44.47 74.21 55.21
3 61.59 87.69 57.39 77.99 51.48 69.22 75.88 68.75
4 59.32 74.23 49.17 65.89 55.25 49.12 74.70 61.10
5 54.53 75.46 57.22 69.88 57.60 48.77 69.33 61.83
6 80.00 78.46 58.87 99.03 58.45 47.23 111.49 76.22
7 68.95 74.11 66.45 73.90 52.07 43.38 89.76 66.94
8 82.24 73.11 78.79 68.83 53.06 49.18 75.41 68.66
9 101.66 83.15 79.33 69.77 45.72 53.37 69.55 71.79
10 87.36 92.82 78.32 70.41 54.45 41.49 74.88 71.39
11 84.25 82.48 66.07 73.72 60.19 51.58 73.60 70.27
12 70.27 46.05 61.48 75.00 51.69 53.62 75.72 61.98
Mean 70.27 74.38 62.54 71.93 52.86 49.78 76.94 65.53

The mean monthly WQI variation ranged from lower value 52.2 at January and higher value
76.22 at June along Euphrates river which indicate that the river water is within the permissible
limits for drinking water good water, (50-100) as can be seen in figure (3).













Fig. (3): Mean monthly WQI along Euphrates river within Babylon province during the study period

Table (4) shows the variations of the WQI values in the selected stations on Euphrates river.
It can be seen that the water quality of the sampling stations tends to be in good water class during
the whole study period, showing that the Euphrates river water quality is generally "good", range
(50-100) except in year 2012, the water quality of Euphrates river tends to be excellent with WQI
values less than or near 50, also showing that none of the stations water quality are categorized
under " Poor Water ", range (>100), station Hashmia had the lowest WQI value of 44.77 in 2012 and
the highest 89.82 in year 2013.
The spatial and temporal variations of WQI along Euphrates river are shown in Figure (4).
Mean WQI results were lower than 68 during the period of study for all stations, figure (5), the
lowest WQI values were observed in Saddat Al-Hindiyah and Hashmia stations, this may be
attributed to the low population and thus low human activities in these cities.
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
47

Table (4): Summary of anual water quality index values for all sampling stations along Euphrates
River within Babylon province during the study period 2007-2013.
Year ,
Stations
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Min. Max.
Mean
WQI
Musayib 80.06 77.11 63.51 76.22 52.22 48.2 70.85 48.2 80.06 66.88
Saddat Al-
Hindiyah
55.87 75.19 59.67 81.03 50.97 59.93 74.19 50.97 81.03 65.26
Hillah 78.08 75.45 66.37 70.63 54.24 49.22 81.72 49.22 81.72 67.96
Hashmia 75.73 52.97 44.77 89.82 44.77 89.82 65.82
Min. 55.87 75.19 59.67 70.63 50.97 44.77 70.85 44.77 80.06 65.26
Max. 80.06 77.11 66.37 81.03 54.24 59.93 89.82 50.97 89.82 67.96
Mean 71.34 75.92 63.18 75.90 52.60 50.53 79.15 48.29 83.158 66.48














Fig. (4): Anual WQI values of all sampling stations along Euphrates River within Babylon province
during the study period 2007-2013















Fig. (5): Mean anual WQI values of the sampling stations within Babylon province during the study
period 2007-2013



International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 5, May (2014), pp. 41-50 IAEME
48

Table (5) shows the location and classification of the water sampling stations according to
their respective quality category which indicates that water quality of all sampling stations is within
the category good water, (50-100), range for the whole study period based on WQI criteria
presented in table (1).
figure (6) represents the mean annual values of WQI along Euphrates river throughout the
studied period 2007-2013. It can be observed that mean annual WQI values ranged from 50.53 at
2012 to 79.15 at 2013 which indicate the water quality of the river is considered of good quality.

Table (5): Desription of the water sampling stations and classification of their water quality during
2007-2013
Station
Coordinates
Mean WQI description
N E
Musayib 32290 44260 66.88 Good water
Saddat Al-Hindiyah 324256 441643 65.26 Good water
Hilla 324643 441724 67.96 Good water
Hashmia 3213'32" 4422'33" 65.82 Good water















Fig. (6): Mean anual WQI along Euphrates River within Babylon province during 2007-2013


4. CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained from this study indicate that Euphrates river water quality within
Babylon province is generally categorized as "Good" and suitable for drinking uses and human
consumption in the period from 2007 to 2013 without any treatment for the whole studied period.
However, the results obtained from the study reveals that the WQI method is useful in assessing the
drinking water quality of the river and in comparing the water quality of sampling stations and it
appears to be helpful for public and decision makers to understand the drinking water quality.

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