Case Study: An Approach for Assessment of Water Pollution

We measure physicochemical parameters of water to come up with an idea about water quality. However, physicochemical parameters per se do not furnish a comprehensive representation. At this point, we might require an analytical tool that helps to establish a correlation among those physicochemical parameters. This book addresses an approach that describes such an analytical tool. In other words, it delivers a comprehensive technique that can be applied for quantitative analysis of a research project. The potentiality of the application of this technique is demonstrated by a case study. The case study mainly based on the Middle Canal (Meda Ela) of Kandy city (Sri Lanka) which is known as an affluent of Mahaweli River. Meda Ela is the main urban drain run through Kandy city and it is one of the main stormwater drainage canals which discharges stormwater in the Kandy city basin into Mahaweli River. Since the canal is topographically situated at a low elevation, many side canals drain into the Mid-canal with their heavy pollutant loads. The main objective of this study was, understanding the relationship between Meda Ela and Mahaweli River including a determination if Meda Ela discharges a significant amount of pollutants into the Mahaweli River that causes an accelerated improvement in the pollution level of the river.