WATER QUALITY INDEX (WQI) OF AKASSA CREEK, SOUTHERN NIGERIA

Water quality index (WQI) is an important tool used to evaluate the status of a water body through a single value. In recent times, there have been serious concerns on the state of most coastal water of which Akassa creek is a portion. Water samples were collected from Akassa creek between June and December, 2024 from two stations. The water was analysed for Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand, EC, nitrate, total hardness, zinc, cadmium, copper, lead using standard methods and the average taken using descriptive analysis. WQI values of 12.669 and 24.029 were recorded for both stations respectively. The result reveals that the study area had an excellent status. However, more detailed research work is recommended.