Determination of Water Quality Index of Drinking Water in Aligarh District, UP, India

Abstract

Water is perhaps the most precious natural resource after air. Though the surface of the earth is mostly consists of water, only a small part of it is usable, which makes this resource very limited. This precious and limited resource, therefore, must be used with prudence. As water is required for different purposes, the suitability of it must be checked before use. Nowadays fresh water cannot be used directly for drinking purposes due to contamination and pollution. So treatment is used before it is used for drinking or for industrial processes. Also, sources of water must be monitored regularly to determine whether they are in sound health or not. Poor condition of water bodies are not only the indictor of environmental degradation, it is also a threat to the ecosystem. In industries, improper quality of water may cause hazards and severe economic loss. Thus, the quality of water is very important in both environmental and economic aspects. Thus, water quality analysis is essential for using it in any purpose. The quality of water depends upon its source of history. The history of water signifies the terrain through which water is flowing, its origin and most important the extent to which it is contaminated on its way by impurities, sediments and industrial waste. The solubilisation and fragmentation of the terrain through which it flows determines its quality. The extent of dissolved solid materials present in water decides its quality. Such quality is also decided by the solubility of the geological deposits, contact of water with sediments, time of interaction and special factors related to environment. To ascertain suitability of water for consumption, it is necessary to undertake examination of quality of water. . Major information on the quality of water is obtained by physical examination. considered in the present paper for calculating the WQI such as pH, Total alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Sulphate, Nitrate and also calculated the seasonal variations of physio- chemical parameters of water quality of Aligarh District.