Water Quality Index (WQI) of Calabar River, Nigeria

 Calabar River serves numerous purposes including tourism, fishing bathing, transportation and washing. This study was conducted to determine the Water quality index (WQI) to ensure it is safe to provide its unique ecosystem services. Surface water for water quality analysis was obtained in January, 2020 (for dry season) and September, 2020 (for wet season) from three sampling stations using standard methods. The water quality includes; pH, Coductivity (us/cm), Temperature (^oC), DO, Turbidity(NTU), Alkalinity(mg/kg), N(mg/kg), Na(mg/kg), K(mg/kg), Ca(mg/kg), Mg(mg/kg), NO₂ (mg/kg), PO₄³ (mg/kg), SO₄²⁺ (mg/kg), NO₃^- (mg/kg), Fe, Cu and Zn. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was calculated and classified. The Water Quality Index (WQI) values for both wet and dry seasons were calculated to be 6672.05 and 6490.24, respectively. These values indicate that the water body is in a poor condition suggesting that the water quality is suitable for various domestic and recreational uses, including drinking, washing, cooking, and swimming based on physicochemical data alone. We recommend an expansion in scopes of study to include biological data and also periodic monitoring of the water body to quickly address changes in water quality as a result of various anthropogenic activities around the water body.