Assessment of Water Quality for Aquaculture in Hau River, Mekong Delta, Vietnam Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Fridah Gacheri Mutea,Ut Ngoc Vu,Truong Giang Huynh,Howard Kasigwa Nelson,Hoa Van Au

doi:10.3390/w13223307

Abstract

The deterioration signs of water quality in the Hau River are apparent. The present study analyzed the surface water quality of the Hau River using multivariate statistical techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA). Eleven water quality parameters were analyzed at 19 different sites in An Giang and Can Tho Provinces for 12 months from January to December 2019. The findings show high levels of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Soluble Solids (TSS), and total coliform, all year round. The PCA revealed that all the water quality parameters influenced the water quality of the Hau River, hence the relevance for water sample scrutiny. The dendrogram of similarity between sampling sites showed a maximum similarity of 95.6%. The Accumulation Factor (AF) trend showed that the concentrations/values of TSS, BOD, and phosphate (PO43−) in the downstream were 1.29, 1.53, and 1.52 times, respectively, greater than the upstream levels. Despite most of the parameters analyzed supporting aquaculture production, caution is needed in the regulation of pollution point sources to undertake sustainable aquaculture production.

Highlights

Rivers are one of the critical channels for human survival that have a unique role in the origin and development of human societies [1,2]
The present study aims to address the issue by identifying the water parameters accountable for spatiotemporal variation of water quality in the Hau River using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA)
The low Dissolved oxygen values that varied from 3.7 to 5.7 mg/L in different sampling sites, e.g., at CT9, which was 3.79 ± 0.92 mg/L, are as a result of high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) reported being from 2.7 to 4.7 mg/L higher than the desired ranges for aquaculture (1–2 mg/L). This was more so in areas surrounded by Pangasius fish farms and agricultural runoffs, which call for wastewater treatment provisions to avoid degrading the water quality in the Hau river for its sustainable utilization for aquaculture production

Summary

Introduction

Rivers are one of the critical channels for human survival that have a unique role in the origin and development of human societies [1,2]. Not forgetting, pollution sources such as the leather industry, marble factories, and fish farms [6], increasing population, industrialization, and urbanization have led to water scarcity and water quality deterioration and adversely affected both social and economic development [7]. These factors have led to contamination of the rivers, especially in developing countries, through effluents full of different chemicals from massive industrial developments, albeit meeting the needs of increasing populations [8]. Spatiotemporal variations of water quality have been perceived to be difficult for a long time due to the nature of environmental data, which are linear; that is why statistical approaches provide reliable water quality analysis [10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion