Application of Principal Component Analysis for Developing Water Quality Index for Selected Coastal Areas of Alexandria Egypt

This paper presents water quality analysis of three sites located in the coastal area of Alexandria, Egypt. Principal component analysis (PCA) approach was used to develop water quality index (WQI). PCA results revealed that Nubaria and Umoum drains were the most highly polluted sampling sites and supposed to be hotspots of environmental pollutants due to industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes disposed and eluted compared to Kilo 21 drain which could be considered the control site for the present study. The findings with the help of principal components suggested are being of great importance in establishing guidelines for the administration of water sources and the improvement of water quality in these areas.