Integrated hydroenvironmental assessment of an Andean microbasin using CWQI, PCA, and GIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24850/j-tyca-2026-06-10Keywords:
water quality, water pollution, water resources management, geographical information systems, GIS, multivariate analysis, basins, EcuadorAbstract
Andean watersheds face increasing urban, agricultural, and industrial hydroenvironmental pressures. The Pachanlica River microwatershed (PRM) in Ecuador is a representative regional case study, in which surface water quality was assessed using the Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI) for agricultural use at ten monitoring points (MP) during the low-flow and rainy seasons. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters were analyzed, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), chlorides (Cl-), NO3-, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), fecal coliforms (FC), and trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn) were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and multi-criteria evaluation in geographic information systems (GIS). During low water flow, high concentrations of FC, EC, and TDS were recorded due to the low dilution capacity of the river system. During the rainy season, although conventional parameters improved, Fe and Mn exceeded quality criteria (QCC) at most points, while Cr and Cd stood out in the lower zone. The integration of metals into the CWQI reduced the index to marginal (61) and poor (44) categories, highlighting the effect of persistent metals. PCA identified two gradients of variability: A microbiological-physicochemical axis associated with domestic discharges and a metallic axis related to geogenic processes and industrial pressures (tanneries and textiles). Spatial patterns confirm that the lower zone is the most vulnerable. These results support integrated water resource management (IWRM) in Andean basins under multiple pressures.
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