- 1Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Department of civil Engineering, New Delhi, India (abdul.gani.phd21@nsut.ac.in)
- 2Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Department of civil Engineering, Rupnagar, India (shraypathak@gmail.com)
- 3Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Department of civil Engineering, New Delhi, India (athar.hussain@nsut.ac.in)
The increase in anthropogenic activities and rise in population in the Yamuna River basin have a significant impact on water quality, necessitating comprehensive assessment techniques for sustainable management. The objective of the present study is to develop a Water Quality Index (WQI) for the Upper Yamuna River, India by combining geospatial methods with a multicriteria decision-analysis technique. The data of different physio-chemical parameters for the upper Yamuna River was collected from the Central Water Commission for a period of 25 years (1997-2022). The spatial variability of water quality was highlighted in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the hotspots were identified. The methodology comprises of four steps: a) parameter selection, b) development of raring curves, c) use of principal component analysis to extract the principal components, d) use of hybrid aggregation technique to develop the WQI. At Poanta, WQI lies in the range of 44.04 to 87.09 with an average value of 65.02, while at Kalanaur, WQI varies in between 19.93 to 81.11 with an average value of 60.11. at Mawi, WQI ranges from 47.91 to 88.48 with an average value of 63.24 whereas, at Palla, WQI varies from 42.88 to 74.08 with an average value of 61.19. The average WQI value of all the locations characterizes the water quality as good. Although the water quality at the Kalanaur location varies significantly from very poor quality to good quality due to the improper disposal of industrial waste into the Yamuna River. The study underscores the sections of the river that are having poor water quality at urban and industrial locations due to high pollution levels. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating spatial analysis with water quality modeling to effectively handle challenging environmental issues. Further, the experts may implement the WQI to deploy mitigation measures and develop strategic planning for the sustainable water quality management of Upper Yamuna River.
Keywords: GIS, Multicriteria Decision-Making, Spatial Variability, Sustainable Management, Yamuna River.
How to cite: Gani, A., Pathak, S., and Hussain, A.: Development of Water Quality Index for Upper Yamuna River, India by using Multicriteria Decision Analysis, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1191, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1191, 2025.
