Assessing rural water quality through index models: evaluations from the villages of Indore

Abstract

Safe drinking water access continues to be a key issue in rural India, with chemical and microbial contaminants being the main cause. This research evaluates the quality of water from five villages in Indore: Borkhedi, Gokanya, Harsola, Memdi, and Simrol, through detailed physicochemical and heavy metal analysis of 36 water samples. 24 parameters were examined, viz., fluoride, nitrate, COD, BOD, TSS, and heavy metals such as Mn, Zn, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Cr. On the basis of models like Dojlido, Bascaron, Brown, SRDD, Aquatic Toxicity Index, West Java, Dinius, and Entropy-weighted WQI, the research compared the efficiency of various Water Quality Index (WQI) models. Results indicated extensive pollution with fluoride content above 2.4 mg/L, and organic contamination was widespread at most sites. Whereas the Dojlido model presented inflated WQI values, the Entropy-weighted, Brown, and Bascaron indices indicated contamination more accurately. Sensitivity analysis also identified Pb, Cr, and Cd as the most significant parameters impacting WQI values. The research concludes that Bascaron, Brown, and Entropy-weighted models present a balanced and context-suitable platform for rural water quality monitoring and suggests their implementation for region-specific sustainable water management. Keywords: Rural Water Quality, AHP, Water Quality Index (WQI), Physicochemical Parameters, Heavy Metal Analysis, Entropy Weighting Method, Sensitivity Analysis.