Spatially Distributed Water Quality Monitoring using Floating Sensors

Spatially Distributed Water Quality Monitoring using Floating Sensors

Spatially Distributed Water Quality Monitoring using Floating Sensors
Zahoor Ahmad, Rubab Khalid, Abubakr Muhammad
Abstract:
Developing countries have poor wastewater management infrastructure. Wastewater from different sources like urban, untreated industrial waste, agricultural pesticides runoff, and animal waste is usually dumped into canals, streams and rivers. This results in the degraded quality of surface water which poses adverse effects on the ecosystem and human socio-economic needs in many different ways. Highly saline water or low levels of dissolved oxygen can destroy aquatic ecosystems. Also if highly saline water is used for irrigation it can deteriorate soil quality resulting in the reduced agricultural yields. Considering the socioeconomic needs of the current and future generations, steps need to be taken to restore these water bodies to their natural form. In this regard, we require some measuring tools which can help us in identifying what are the main sources of pollution in these water-bodies? To answer such questions, the authors have developed a Lagrangian sensor system which is capable of logging spatially distributed water quality data in real-time from water bodies like drains, canals, streams and rivers with GPS location. It can measure the physicochemical parameters of water quality such as, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, temperature and turbidity.