S.S. Mutanga (South Africa)
Bio-monitoring, water quality, Species richness and GIS
Current approaches and techniques to quantify pollution levels as a precursor to analysis of water quality levels in streams have largely remained uncommon in the developing world. Furthermore, the availability of empirical data on aquatic micro invertebrates as water quality indicators is a major factor limiting the understanding of integrated water conservation issues. Biomonitoring is an important tool for indicating pollution levels in river systems. This study aimed at showing how GIS mapping tools and geo-statistical techniques can be used to quantify water pollution levels in river systems. .The investigation of sewage effluent impact on water quality was conducted on Marondera town located at the middle part of Mashonaland East province, Zimbabwe. A broad discussion on organic pollution, its impact on water quality variables and the aftermath effects on water resources was undertaken. Geospatial techniques were used to show the variation in pollution levels down the streams. The results of a comparison between Kridging and inverse distance weight (IWD) demonstrated that the former had a better accuracy of predicting pollution levels. The study demonstrated positive relationships between species richness, dissolved oxygen and biological oxygen demand.
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