Application of water quality index for evaluation of groundwater quality for drinking purpose in dibdiba aquifer, Kerbala City, Iraq

Abstract EN

Water quality index (WQI) is a mathematical tool used to transform large quantities of water quality data into single number which represents water quality level.

This research is accomplished to evaluate the quality of groundwater in Dibdiba aquifer / Kerbala city-Iraq for the purpose of drinking by using Water Quality Index (WQI).

Groundwater samples were collected in April, 2010 from 20 wells.

Various physicochemical parameters: pH, total dissolved solids, potassium, bicarbonate, sulphate, total hardness, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride have been calculated in all the water samples.

In most of the parameters the concentration observed were found to be above the permissible limits of the Iraqi standard for drinking purpose.

The results showed that WQI values for the groundwater of the study area ranged from 432.6 to 184.5, which mean water was found to be severely contaminated and unsuitable for drinking purpose at all sites of the wells.

Also this research concluded that further improvement is required to treat the water of Dibdiba aquifer wells for using as drinking purpose.