Towards Sustainable Development—Increasing Public Participation by Simplifying Water Quality Data Presentation in the Form of Eco-Heart Index

Abstract

This study applies the new user-friendly and sustainable community-based water quality index known as Eco-Heart Index for monitoring and assessing water quality. Eco-Heart considers six parameters, resulting in a pictorial output in the shape of a heart. A full heart indicates excellent water quality, whereas a broken heart indicates poor water quality. This investigation used six parameters namely, pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, turbidity, and faecal coliform, for determining the status of a water body. Four water bodies in the city of Vadodara were analyzed using the index to see where they fell on a scale of pollution severity. Based on the Eco-Heart dataset of 3 years, it was found that the lakes in which broken hearts occurred ranged from a shrinking heart to a deformed heart. The obtained results were compared with the widely used National Sanitation Foundation water quality index to validate the data, which showed a moderately positive correlation. Survey documentation for the applicability of the Index on ground level was also carried out using Cronbach Alpha showing a positive response of people for use of Eco-Heart Index indicating that Eco-Heart Index can be used as an alternative, easy, and sustainable tool for assessing water bodies.