Application of CCME water quality index for drinking purpose in Tigris River within Wasit Province, Iraq

The water quality index (WQI) is an essential part of the water resource management system through its use as a numerical scale to evaluate and classify the quality of the water body for various beneficial uses (drinks, industry and irrigation).The present study used WQI  based on the  Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment‎ (CCME-WQI) ‎ as a tool for assessing the quality of  Tigris River in Wasit Province, Iraq for drinking purposes through assaying different chemical and physical parameters. Four sites were selected along the river between Al-Kut City and Al-Aziziyah from August 2016 through July 2017. Water samples were collected monthly and nine physicochemical parameters were selected: pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, chlorides, lead, zinc and manganese. Based on the results of water quality index, the river water was considered as marginal in all the studied sites, and the CCME-WQI ranged between 56-62. The highest deviation has been occurred in phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, lead, and manganese, leading to decrease the water quality index value.