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Keywords

Litani River Water Quality, Principal Component Analysis, Water Quality Index

Disciplines

Civil Engineering | Environmental Engineering

Abstract

Litani River Basin (LRB) with a 170km length and annual river flow of 750 MCM is considered the most important water resource in Lebanon. Unfortunately, the river is facing water contamination as a result of human practices. Water Quality assessments was performed in the Litani River Basin using a combination of Principal Component Analysis method (PCA) and Water Quality Index method (WQI). Results revealed the improvement of the water quality significantly after passing lake Qaraoun. Moreover, according to WQI, Lower LRB water is ranked ‘’Good’’ for irrigation and ‘’BAD’ for drinking purposes. Microbial contamination is found to be the key factor in determining the usage of water for agricultural and drinking purposes due to the propagation of Escherichia coli in water samples. Stakeholders should take immediate actions to resolve microbiological contamination in Litani Lower River in order to perverse its water for irrigation activities and supplying drinking water.

Author ORCID Identifier

Mohamad Diab - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9163-468X

Mohamad Soliman - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7326-3157

ISSN

2959-331X

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