Water quality indices: Construction, potential, and limitations

Abstract

Water quality indices (WQIs) are well-established tools for water quality management and effective community communication. However, distinct WQIs construction processes give rise to differences in their measurability and flexibility. The present study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of commonly used WQIs, applied to measure drinking water quality. Their benefits and limitations were discussed based on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The most frequently used WQIs were the Horton (HWQI), National Sanitation Foundation (NSFWQI), Tiwari and Mishra (TMWQI), and Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCMEWQI) WQIs. The SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat) analysis showed that the main limitations of these indices derive from their data aggregation model and from input parameter availability and selection. Among the WQIs studied, the CCMEWQI showed the highest potential and flexibility. These findings may serve as a driving force for water monitoring and surveillance systems to review their data collection and information production processes to achieve WQI full potential.

Keywords

• WQI
• Water management
• Effective community communication
• Drinking water
• Strength
• Weakness