Multivariate analysis for river water quality assessment of the Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Spearman’s rank correlations indicates that correlated strongly positive and negative corrected pH, EC, Ca, HCO₃, Mg, SO₄, Na, K and Cl. It was observed that the main cause of deterioration in water quality is due to the lack of proper sanitation, unprotected river sites and high anthropogenic activities. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that Cl had very close relation with K, Mg, Cl and dissolved solid. It was concluded that the Spearman’s rank correlations, principal component analysis were very useful for an assessment of hydrochemical characteristics of the Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu and India.