DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v28i3.100

Keywords: Water quality, electrical conductivity, Chemometric, multivariate statistical approach

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality of a Naini Lake and classify the lake water using the Water Quality Index (WQI). The study also aimed to identify the factors influencing water quality and examine relationships among water quality parameters using multivariate statistical techniques. Water quality data for the period 2017–2023 were obtained from the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, India. The selected water quality parameters for analysis include pH, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Temperature (Temp), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Alkalinity, Chloride (Cl), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Total hardness (TH) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). The rating of WQI is grouped into three categories like excellent, good, poor water. According to the WQI the water can be termed as poor when WQI value is higher. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified three principal components (PCs) PC1 (EC, Alka, Cl, Ca, Mg, TH, TDS & Temp), PC2 (EC, Alka, Cl, Ca, Mg, TH, TDS & Temp) and PC3 (EC, Alka, Cl, Ca, Mg, TH, TDS) which explicate the sources of pollutions.