Grey Systems Model to Assess Water Quality in Mantaro River in Peru

Abstract

The section of the Mantaro River that flows through the department of Huancavelica, Peru, has been affected by toxic wastes and mineral residues from industrial and mining activities, which have directly impacted the water quality. In this work, a grey system model, based on the grey clustering method, was used to assess water quality. The grey clustering method was applied using the central point of triangular whitening weight functions (CTWF). In addition, the Prati index and the Environmental Quality Standards for water from the Peru government were revised and used for this study. In the case study, six physicochemical parameters, pH, DO, BOD, Cd, As, and Pb, at nine monitoring points were assessed along the Mantaro River. The results showed that the sixth monitoring point (P6), which is influenced by mining activity, was highly contaminated, while the other points were classified as noncontaminated. Finally, the results obtained by applying the grey clustering method can be useful to competent authorities, for decision making on water management in this watershed.