ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN INDIA
Keywords:
Surface water quality, Physicochemical indicators, Microbiological indicators, Coliform, IndiaAbstract
Surface-water quality is influenced by physicochemical conditions and microbiological contamination, both of which are important for environmental monitoring and public-health protection. This study assessed physicochemical and microbiological indicators across lakes, ponds, and tanks in India using secondary water-quality records from 683 monitoring stations. Physicochemical parameters included temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand, and nitrate, while microbiological indicators included faecal coliform and total coliform. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, chi-square analysis, and Spearman correlation were used to evaluate variation and relationships among indicators. Lakes represented the largest proportion of monitoring locations. Significant differences among water-body types were observed for dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, faecal coliform, and total coliform, while temperature did not differ significantly. Tanks generally showed higher median levels of several pollution-related indicators, whereas ponds had comparatively better water-quality classification patterns. Microbiological indicators showed substantial variation across monitoring locations. Biochemical oxygen demand demonstrated the strongest positive relationships with both faecal and total coliform, while dissolved oxygen showed a negative association with total coliform. Water-quality classification was significantly associated with water-body type. Overall, the findings indicate that physicochemical and microbiological indicators should be assessed together to provide a more complete understanding of surface-water quality and to support targeted monitoring and pollution-control strategies across India.
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