Assessment of Seasonal Variation in Water Quality in River Rwizi Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques, Mbarara Municipality, Uganda
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Date
2017
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Publisher
Journal of Water Resource and Protection
Abstract
Assessment of seasonal variations in surface water quality characteristics is an
essential aspect for evaluating water pollution due to both natural and anthropogenic
influences on water resources. In this study, temporal variations
of water quality in river Rwizi section within Mbarara municipality, Uganda,
were assessed using multivariate statistical methods. This river section is a
major source of water for the inhabitants of Mbarara municipality. Water
samples from five sites were analyzed for physicochemical parameters such as
pH, EC, turbidity, temperature, TSS, TDS, alkalinity, salinity, colour, NH3-N,
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SO − , total hardness, BOD, COD, DO, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn. About 50% of
sites recorded colour above 800 Pt Co, 60% of sites recorded turbidity above
maximum permissible limit of 100 mg/l, attributable to erosion and mineral
matter. pH for dry season ranged between 6.5 and 8.5 whereas for rainy season
was below 6.0. All study sites recorded total Fe above 0.3 mg/l and Mn
below 0.5 mg/l, attributable to chemical weathering of host rock materials as
well as from industrial effluent. About 60% of sites recorded COD above 100
mg/l, 40% and 80% of study sites showed BOD above 50 mg/l in dry and rainy
seasons respectively. Hardness ranged between 50 and 100 mg/l indicating
that the water is moderately soft. Colour, turbidity, alkalinity, TSS, TDS, salinity,
pH, hardness, Fe, Mn, NH3-N, BOD, COD, and DO were higher in
rainy season, as a result of erosion, discharge of domestic and industrial waste.
Mg, Ca, and 2
4 SO − were higher during dry season due to high evaporation of
water from the river. PCA/FA determined that 81.2% of the total variance was
explained by the first factor for the dry season and 69.2% for rain season.
These results revealed that water pollution resulted primarily from domestic
waste water, agricultural runoff and industrial effluents.
Description
Keywords
Principal Component Analysis, Factor Analysis, River Rwizi, Physico-Chemical, Water Pollution
Citation
Ojok, W., Wasswa, J. and Ntambi, E. (2017) Assessment of Seasonal Variation in Water Quality in River Rwizi Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques, Mbarara Municipality, Uganda. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 9, 83-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2017.91007