Evaluación quimiométrica del índice de riesgo de la calidad del agua para consumo humano en Bucaramanga, Floridablanca y Girón

Abstract

A chemometric analysis of the parameters used by the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Aqueduct was carried out to determine the quality of the water supplied to the municipalities of Bucaramanga, Floridablanca and Girón, a determination made through the Water Quality Risk Index for Human Consumption (IRCA). The data were organized in matrices and ANOVAs were performed according to the area of origin of the water (Bucaramanga, Floridablanca and Girón), in turn a major component analysis (PCA) was done to know the parameters that generate the greatest impact in the IRCA. The PCA results allowed the reduction of 11 variables to 4 main components that show the correlation of the variables. The most important parameters were: Sulphates, apparent color, residual chlorine and iron. When we evaluate the incidence of seasonal variability in the IRCA calculation, it was found that, other than chlorides, nitrates and hardness, the other parameters evaluated have a relation with the bimodal rainfall regime, characteristic of the area under study. Regarding the interannual variability, the variables Nitrate, Alkalinity, Chlorides, Hardness and pH were found to be the IRCA parameters most correlated with the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). Key words: IRCA, ANOVA, AMC, Correlation, Climatic variability.