A REVIEW OF THE EXISTING WATER QUALITY INDICES (WQIS)TALENT DIOTREFE BANDA, MUTHUKRISHNAVELLAISAMY KUMARASAMYAbstract A comprehensive evaluation and monitoring of South Africaâs water resources is vital towards implementing appropriate management and long-term sustainability of the scares water resources. Such practices, are done using significant amount of data, and such information needs to be analysed and applied using methods, tools and or models that are capable of deducing water quality information into usable datasets and structured formats. Proper design and formation of water quality indices is then a pivotal step in assessing our water resources and in cognisance of such, this study endeavours to develop a water quality-monitoring tool that is applicable to distinct catchments in South Africa. This tool should analyse and integrate the significance of physical, chemical and biological constituents of surface water and be able to present them in a simple, but yet technically justifiable method. In order to properly compile and develop a better model, one has to evaluate, review and consider the flaws and limitations of the current and previously developed models of similar nature. Henceforth, this review paper focuses on reviewing the literature relating to the development of the water quality indices (WQIs). |