Development of a Cost Effective River Water Quality Index: A Case Study of West Java Province, Indonesia

Having good water quality is important for a healthy river. However, it is difficult to quantify the state of river water quality due to the large choice of possible water quality parameters used to describe it. On the other hand, insufficient funding, particularly in developing countries, is one of the most common constraints towards monitoring all water quality parameters of a river as it is laborious and expensive. Given these facts, Water Quality Indices (WQIs) have been one of the most commonly used approaches across the world in evaluating river water quality effectively. A WQI is a useful tool to define the state of water quality in a body of water which can be used for decision making and operational management by the water authorities. It can also be used to compare the water quality of rivers spatially and temporarily, and to provide water quality status reports to policy makers and the public in a simple and an understandable manner