Water quality index toward a reliable assessment for water supply uses: a novel approach

The present work sheds the light on a novel approach developed for water quality index, aiming to assess the water quality of the Tigris River for potable abstractions. The Tigris River water quality index (TrWQI) was devised via utilizing unlike tools and data, this includes; availability of water quality data, statistical correlations, water quality guidelines, and the experts' opinions. Ten water quality parameters were involved in the adopted index: turbidity, pH, water temperature, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, iron, sulfate, alkalinity and total coliform bacteria. Five sampling stations were selected to perform the TrWQI for the period of April 2019. Generally, the results of the index have manifested that the water quality was within "Fair" to "Poor" range. With considering the application of TrWQI, reasonable results have been achieved if compared with the raw data of the Tigris River. Indeed, the index was capable to endow serviceable information for managers and decision-makers to sustain the quality of the river.