Characteristics of the spatial distribution of pollutants in the Shkumbin River, using the Inverse Distance Weighting Method

Abstract

The Shkumbin River is one of the largest in the country, with a length of 181 km, a catchment area of 2444 km2, and an average height of its sources of 753 m. For the specificity of the Shkumbin River and the importance of the use of its waters, it is necessary to continuously study the level of water quality and the level of pollution, especially in its lower reaches, where agricultural and urban activities are concentrated and industrial. The study was carried out in the period 2021–2022, in the Shkumbin River watershed, and eight stations were selected as representative points of the main stream of the Shkumbin River. In the context of industrial and urban development, the preservation of the natural environment takes on special importance. The solution to this problem requires the hydrochemical study of water sources, which is necessary for the control of their condition, and the study of compounds and polluting phenomena. In order to study the distribution of organic pollutants and heavy metals and obtain pollutant distribution pictures using the ArcGIS system, the Inverse Distance Weighting Method was used.