ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL WATER QUALITY INDICATORS IN POLLUTEDAQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
Keywords:
Aquatic Ecosystems, Water Quality Indicators, Heavy Metal Contamination, Physicochemical Parameters, Aquatic Pollution MonitoringAbstract
Anthropogenic activities are causing environmental pollution to aquatic ecosystems and this type ofpollution has the potentialto alterthe water quality and stability of the ecosystem considerably. Theanalysis of physicochemical indicators and toxic pollutants is thus needed to study the dynamics ofpollution in the water bodies. The current research examined the parameters of physicochemicalwater quality and heavy metals in the water bodies of aquatic ecosystems based on a dataset of 1000observationstaken in five sites of monitoring. The important parameters analyzed were the pH,turbidity, temperature, dissolvedoxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and the concentrations of lead,mercury and arsenic. Descriptive and comparative analyses have been doneto assess the variabilityof water quality indicators and how each of them is associated with the level of pollution at themonitoring sites. The findings indicated that the water conditions were mostly neutral and slightlyalkaline withamean pH of 7.25andanaverage turbidity of 10.22 NTU, which is a range of suspendedsolids. Dissolved oxygen was 5.93 mg/L and biochemical oxygen demand was 5.48 mg/L, whichindicated moderate conditions of organic pollution. The traces of heavy metals were also detectedindifferent locations, which indicates a possible level of contamination in the observed environments.The combination of the analysis of physicochemical indicators and metal content gave a full pictureof the pollution trend and the environment. These indicators should be closely kept and monitoredcontinuously to help in the sound management of the environment and the health of aquaticecosystems.
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