Assessment of surface water quality using the water quality index (WQI) in a river located in northern Minas Gerais (Brazil)
| Main Authors: | Freitas, L.V.P, Santos, L.D.R, Freitas, B.E.P, Braga, M.D |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article Journal |
| Bahasa: | eng |
| Terbitan: |
, 2020
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| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/4284569 |
Daftar Isi:
- Water is an indispensable natural resource for the survival of living beings, as well as for performing anthropic activities. However, in urban areas, watercourses are directly affected by impacting activities, making these resources increasingly scarce and degraded. In this sense, the aim of this research is to analyze the Water Quality Index (WQI) of the Cintra River, which is located to Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil southeastern, to indicate the current state of conservation of watercourse. For that, water samples were collected to physical-chemical and microbiological analysis based on four distinct points of Cintra River. The WQI analyzed indicated that the watercourse has a good degree of preservation only in the nascent area. In the other points analyzed, the WQI indicated a reasonable or poor state of preservation. These results indicated that the wastewater discharge and the irregular disposal of solid wastes are the most significant impacting human activities that contribute to degradation of the Cintra River. In addition, other factors, as the removal of vegetation present on the banks of the Cintra River, are contributed to its degradation. In conclusion, the current state of conservation of this river harms ecological processes and aquatic organisms. In addition, it may represent serious public health problems, since waterborne diseases can affect the population