Water Quality Assessment Using A Novel Iraqi Water Quality Index for Euphrates River Between Karbala and Babylon Provinces as a Case Study

Many parts of the world are facing water scarcity problems due to the limitation of water resources coinciding with the increasing population. Rivers are vital freshwater systems that are critical for the sustenance of life. This work deals with the monitoring and assessment of water quality of the Euphrates River between Karbala and Babylon provinces from ten sites near the discharge of industrial facilities, drainage of agricultural lands, wastewater and other facilities, samples were taken monthly and the results were converted into four seasons, it's divided into two seasons (dry-wet). Various physico-chemical and microbial analyses were performed based on standard methods. The following parameters were measured (pH, EC, BOD, DO, WATERTEM, TDS, TOTAL COLIFORM, TH, SO4, NO3, CL, Na, PO4, RSC, SAR, SSP, MH, B, NO2 and Mg). By using A Novel Iraqi water quality index that fits the Iraqi aquatic systems and reflects the environmental reality of Iraqi water, the developed IWQI includes above components, The results showed that the water quality of the Euphrates River in the studied sites are ranged from (poor- very poor) for fresh water. As for the suitability of the water for agriculture and living for aquatic organisms, and its suitability for drinking, the results for the sites ranged from (good- unsuitable) during the wet and dry seasons. Based on these indices, it is concluded that industrial facilities, city wastewater and intensive communities that live along the river bank are negatively affecting the water quality of rivers.