The applications of Canadian water quality index for ground and surface water quality assessments of Chilanchil Abay watershed: The case of Bahir Dar city waste disposal site

Abstract

Abstract Surface water and groundwater have been experiencing increasing risks of contamination in recent years because of the poor management of the immense amounts of waste created by different human activities. Inappropriate dump sites have served for many years as marginal disposal sites for a wide range of wastes, including solid waste, fresh sewage and hazardous waste, in developing nations such as Ethiopia. Physical, anthropogenic and organic procedures continuously interact to deteriorate the waste. One of the results of these practices is artificially contaminated leachate, which is potentially hazardous waste from disposal sites. If not managed appropriately, such a dumping site can contaminate groundwater (through leachates) and surface water (through contaminant transport by flooding and groundwater movement). Along these lines, this study focuses on the applications of water quality index in the ground and surface water quality caused by the waste disposal site of Bahir Dar city within the Chilanchil Abay during the study period. Water testing was performed on five samples of surface water and six samples of groundwater in each month from 30th March (dry season) to 20th August (wet season). More than 13 water quality parameters, for example, pH, TDS, electrical conductivity, turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), TH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), TC, NO3−, PO43−, Cr, Mn, and Pb contents, were examined in both ground and surface water. It was discovered that water quality status of the Chilanchil Abay watershed ranges from 15.87 to 36.6 for surface water and 42 to 46.2 for groundwater suggesting poor and marginal status for drinking water purpose.