Abstract:
The natural resources, especially water in the Densu river basin, play signifcant roles in the socio-economic development
of Ghana. The purpose of this study was to analyse the water quality of the Densu river using water quality index (WQI)
and multivariate techniques. In this study, physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters were measured from surface
water samples taken from eight (8) sampling stations in the study area. water quality index and multivariate techniques
such as hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were utilized in the analysis of surface water quality
data. The results indicated that the average WQI of the Densu river for the two sampling periods was sixty-one (61) which
is classifed as Medium, based on the Solway WQI index. The pH levels of all the samples were within allowable limits of
World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. All the sampling stations for the two seasonal periods had bacteriological
parameters higher than WHO guidelines, making the samples unsuitable for most domestic uses. The study revealed that six
(6) principal components accounted for about 97% of the total variance of dataset and three (3) spatial clusters were classifed. This research has provided the basis for applying both WQI and multivariate techniques in analysing and classifying
water quality in a river basin.
