Department of Environment & Energy, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Water Sci Technol. 2011;64(12):2483-91. doi: 10.2166/wst.2011.780.
Water quality standards are developed worldwide by national and international agencies for pollution control decision-making. Use-based water quality classification criteria and Water Quality Indices (WQIs) also play an important role in the assessment of the suitability of water resources for various applications. The present study proposes a better overall index for water quality in Iran and its application in Karoon River by exploring the behavior and limitations of conventional methods for quality evaluation. For this purpose, six variables were employed. Water quality determinants of the new index include Dissolved Oxygen, Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity, Nitrate, Fecal coliform and pH. Besides, the mathematical equations applied to transform the actual concentration values into quality indices have been formulated. This study compares a new index called the Iranian Water Quality Index with other pre-existing indices such as NSFWQI, Oregon, CPCB WQI, MDOE WQI, Kaurish and Younos WQI, and Ahmed Said WQI. Results revealed that the overall quality of the surface water falls under the 'good' class. A case study of Karoon River is made to illustrate the application of this new index system.
水质标准是由国家和国际机构为污染控制决策制定而在全球范围内制定的。基于用途的水质分类标准和水质指数（WQIs）在评估水资源对各种应用的适宜性方面也发挥着重要作用。本研究通过探索常规水质评估方法的行为和局限性，提出了一种更好的伊朗整体水质指数，并将其应用于卡伦河。为此，采用了六个变量。新指数的水质决定因素包括溶解氧、总溶解固体、浊度、硝酸盐、粪大肠菌群和 pH 值。此外，还制定了将实际浓度值转换为质量指数的数学方程式。本研究将一种名为伊朗水质指数的新指数与其他现有指数（如 NSFWQI、俄勒冈州、CPCB WQI、MDOE WQI、Kaurish 和 Younos WQI 以及 Ahmed Said WQI）进行了比较。结果表明，地表水的整体质量属于“良好”类别。对卡伦河进行了案例研究，以说明该新指数系统的应用。
