Water Quality Assessment of the Pond “Ariyakulam”, Jaffna - A view through Correlation Study and Regression Analysis.

Abstract

The present study was designed to assess the physico-chemical status of the pond “Ariyakulam”, to compare its status with surface water quality standards and quantify the impacts of these parameters on each other through the regression and correlation coefficient methods. Eleven selected parameters such as Air Temperature (AT), Water Temperature (WT), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Salinity, pH, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Nitrate nitrogen (NO3 -),Ammonia nitrogen (NH4+) were taken for the analyses. Though the pond covers approximately an area of 12,000 m2 located in a historical place, proper maintenance is lacking and the preservation of the beauty of this water body is largely neglected. Water samples were collected twice a month for a period of 8 months from August 2016 to January 2017 and then January to February, 2018 from 0700 to 0800 hrs in eight locations within the pond. The values of TDS, DO, EC, and NH4+ indicated that the pond “Ariyakulam” was in polluted state. The correlation coefficient values and regression analysis methods revealed the relationship among the parameters. The results from these methods demonstrate a user friendly measure for a rapid water quality assessment and continuous monitoring programmes.