ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY OF SELECTED FRESH WATER BODIES OF GOA (INDIA) USING WATER QUALITY INDEX (CCME-WQI)

A healthy aquatic environment supports diverse inhabitants, protects drinking water quality, allows recreational activities, and provides appropriate ecosystem services (Said et al. 2004). Water quality is a crucial component of a healthy watershed. Water resources used for domestic, industrial, irrigation, and drinking purposes receive significant contaminants from the pointand non-point sources (Mahagamage and Manage, 2014). Biochemical reactions occurring within water affect its physicochemical parameters. Quick changes in these parameters are indicators of water quality changes and are often compared with water quality guidelines or standards to assess the pollution level (Hacioglu and Dulger, 2009). Drinking water quality guidelines and standards are designed to provide clean and safe water for human consumption (Al-Janabi et al. 2012). Decisionmaking often becomes difficult while comparing several parameters simultaneously. Therefore, the Water Quality Index (WQI) is the best source that provides a convenient means of summarizing complex water quality data that the public can easily understand (Giriyappanavar and Patil, 2013). The Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI), developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, is a tool for communicating information and assessing changes in water quality over time (CCME, 2001). The application of CCME WQI requires Water Quality Guidelines (WQGs), and the model essentially consists of three measures of variance from selected WQGs (scope, frequency, and amplitude) that combine to produce a value between 0 and 100 and represents the overall water quality (Khan et al.2005). Many of these freshwater bodies are under stress in Goa due to anthropogenic activities. Hence, their health needs to be checked. Singh and Kamal (2014) analyzed surface water samples from rivers in and around the mining talukas of Goa. The surface water quality was evaluated by testing various physicochemical parameters such as pH, TDS, BOD, etc. The WQI for all samples was found in the range of 34 to 107. The highest value of WQI was observed during the monsoon season, while the lowest was during the postmonsoon season. Most of the water samples within the study area were found within Good to moderate categories. Radhan et al. (2015) calculated the water quality index (WQI) of the Water bodies receiving contaminants from point and non-point sources incur changes in physicochemical features, degradation of water quality emanating from biochemical reactions between dissolved solids and microbionts. The present paper describes the application of CCME WQI to know the water quality of four freshwater bodies from Goa and to see the suitability of the water for recreation, drinking, irrigation, and livestock. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has developed the Water Quality Index (WQI), which is one of the practical tools to solve data management problems and evaluate success and failures in management strategies for improving water quality. Water Samples from selected water bodies were collected every month for two years. A total of eight physicochemical parameters viz; pH, temperature, turbidity, TDS, BOD, nitrates, phosphates, and total chlorophyll were analyzed using standard protocols. Based on the results, the index values and their ranks for drinking, recreation, irrigation, and livestock were recorded as poor water quality due to various point and non-point pollutant sources. The results are alarming, and a necessary action plan needs to be implemented to monitor water quality and proper management of these water bodies.