CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICO-CHEMICAL, MICROBIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF SURFACE WATERS IN THE SHKODRA REGION, ALBANIA

The complexity of microbial populations and their habitats, their reproduction dynamics, the heterogeneity of microbial transmission pathways into aquatic systems, and the diverse nature of influencing environmental parameters necessitate an interdisciplinary research approach to address surface water quality concerns.The analysis and correlation of physico-chemical and microbiological parameters enable a better understanding of potential interventions required to maintain water quality within acceptable standards.The aim of this study was to measure and identify the relationships between microbial indicators Faecal coliforms (FC) and Faecal streptococci (FS) and key physico-chemical parameters in the waters of Lake Shkodra, the Buna River, the Viluni Lagoon, and the Adriatic Sea along the Velipoja coastline, characterized by significant spatial variability.Water samples were collected from four distinct areas: Lake Shkodra, the Buna River, Viluni Lagoon, and the coastal waters of Velipoja.The physico-chemical parameters analyzed included temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), ammonium, phosphate, nitrites, and nitrates.Microbiological analysis targeted Faecal coliforms and Faecal streptococci using the Most Probable Number (MPN) method.A total of 660 analyses were conducted during the summer 2023 to summer 2024 period, including 120 microbiological and 540 physicochemical measurements.As we are dealing with a small size sample we using the Spearman correlation analysis, which measures the strength and direction of association between two ranked variables.Correlation analyses were performed using the symbolic programming language MATLAB R2024b.In conclusion, anthropogenic activity and water pollution have negatively affected the physical, chemical and biological qualities of, together with climate change, the quality of surface waters of the Shkodra region.To avoid the ecological and socio-economic consequences of biodiversity loss, damage to the economy and tourism in the region and beyond, there is a clear need for more comprehensive and systematic research to protect the quality of surface waters of the Shkodra region.