Evaluation of river water quality by using hierarchical clustering analysis

Abstract

Assessment of water pollution is a critical study because it can affect humans directly. Likewise, river water is widely used for various daily needs. It is important to group rivers according to their classes so that further analysis and action can be carried out. This article discusses the clustering of rivers in several areas in the southeast part of Central Java Province consisting of 14 sampling stations based on several water quality parameters. The pollutant parameters include TSS, electrical conductivity, pH, BOD, COD, and DO. The method used is Hierarchical clustering in which the object grouping begins with grouping two objects with the closest distance being combined into one cluster, and then continues until one cluster is formed consisting of all objects. The results show that five clusters are the ideal choice. Except for electrical conductivity, the parameters observed are dominantly the difference between clusters. Through the formation of river clusters based on their water quality, the characteristics of each cluster and cluster members with high similarity can be identified.