Characterization of chemical and microbiological quality of Nile River surface water at Cairo (Egypt)

Abstract

Weighted arithmetic method of water quality index (WQI) was used to evaluate the water quality of Nile River at Cairo (Egypt) according to drinking, irrigation, and aquatic life water utilization. The aim of the present study was to characterize the physicochemical and bacteriological water quality of about 70 km long of Nile River at Cairo city area. The objective of the index is to transform complex water quality data into understandable and usable information by the public. The general annual average of WQI values of Nile River at Cairo was poor water for drinking (50.71), good for aquatic life (28.87), and it was excellent for irrigation utilizations (7.27). Microbiological results revealed an increases in total bacterial and pollution indicator counts from the collected water samples.