Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2012, 4, 523-527 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2012.47061 Published Online July 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/jwarp) Evaluation of Tigris River by Water Quality Index Analysis Using C++ Program Allaa M. Aenab 1 , S. K. Singh 1 , Adil Abbas Majeed Al-Rubaye 2 1 Environmental Engineering Department, Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi, India 2 Electrical & Communication Engineering Department, Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad, Iraq Email: allaaaenab@gmail.com Received April 3, 2012; revised May 1, 2012; accepted June 3, 2012 ABSTRACT In the capital city of Baghdad, The surface water suffering from effect of conservative pollutants. Baghdad city has two rivers, the main river Tigris River and Diyala River in boundary of Baghdad city (Jassir Diyala) eastern of Baghdad as is shown in Figure 1. The present study deals with the evaluation of water quality of Tigris River within Baghdad. In the case of Tigris River the concentrations of TH, TDS, PO 4 and SO 4 were found to lie outside the acceptable range of WHO standards by using WQI analysis and C++ program. Keywords: Tigris River; Water Quality; WQI; C++ Program and River Evaluation 1. Introduction The main rivers of Iraq, the Tigris and the Euphrates which cover an area of 126,900 km 2 and 177,600 km 2 respectively, cross Iraq by their middle and lower reaches, eventually to confluence in the river Shatt Al-Arab, be- fore flowing into the Arabian Gulf. The Tigris provides all the main tributaries within Iraq (Greater Zab, Lesser Zab, Adhaim and Diyala) with no tributaries sourced from the Euphrates. The arid regions along the watershed are characterized by the existence of “wadis” in the upper reached of Iraq. More than 90% of Iraq’s water depen- dent needs are met by surface water and 80% of this wa- ter flow comes from its three neighboring countries [1]. The Tigris is 1850 km long, rising in the Taurus Mountains of eastern Turkey about 25 km southeast of the city of Elazig and about 30 km from the headwaters of the Euphrates. The river then flows for 400 km through Turkish territory before becoming the border between Syria and Iraq. This stretch of 44 km is the only part of the river that is located in Syria. The remaining 1418 km are entirely within the Iraqi borders [2]. Since 1965, when Horton (1965) proposed the first water qual- ity index (WQI), a great deal of consideration has been given to the development of “water quality index” meth- ods with the intent of providing a tool for simplifying the reporting of water quality data. However, there is no re- liable water quality index has been developed in Iraq to assess water suitability of irrigation [3]. WQI is a set of standards used to measure changes in water quality in a particular river reach over time and make comparisons from different reaches of a river. A WQI also allows for comparisons to be made between different rivers. This index allows for a general analysis of water quality on many levels that affect a stream’s ability to host life [4]. WQI is an arithmetical tool used to transform large quan- tities of water quality data into a single cumulatively de- rived number. It represents a certain level of water qual- ity while eliminating the subjective assessments of such quality [5-7]. It is intended as a simple, readily under- standable tool for managers and decision makers to con- vey information on the quality and potential uses of a given water body, based on various criteria [6]. Further more it turns complex water quality data into information that is understandable and usable by the public. It gives the public a general idea of the water quality in a par- ticular region. Water Quality Index (WQI) is a very use- ful and efficient method for assessing the suitability of water quality. It is also a very useful tool for communi- cating the information on overall quality of water to the concerned citizens and policy makers. It, thus, becomes an important parameter for the assessment and manage- ment of water quality (both surface and groundwater). WQI reflects the composite influence of different water quality parameters and is calculated from the point of view of the suitability of (both surface and groundwater) for human consumption [8]. Table 1 showing Water Quality Index Ranges is [9,10]. 2. Objectives and Approach The objectives are important tools, used in a framework Copyright © 2012 SciRes. JWARP