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Background:The Mae Kha Canal is one of Chiang Mai' s most important waterways.It sup ports local agriculture, irrigation, and transportation as well as provides stormwater drain age to prevent floods.Due to the unregulated rapid urbanization of the city and lack of efficient waste and wastewater management systems over the past few decades, the canal has become heavily polluted.This study aimed to evaluate the water quality of Mae Kha canal through assessment of the physicochemical water quality and coliform bacteria.Moreover, benthic macroinvertebrates were samples and assessed using the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP Thai ) and Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT Thai ) as biological indices. Results:The physicochemical showed low dissolved oxygen levels, high levels of am monia and phosphates, and elevated levels of biochemical oxygen demand, indicating that the water quality had significantly deteriorated.The canal was found to be heavily polluted, with most sites falling into the polluted to very heavily polluted.Coliform bacteria analysis revealed alarmingly high levels of total coliform bacteria and fecal coliform bacte ria in the canal.The BMWP Thai and ASPT Thai scores indicated poor to very poor water quality.Conclusions: The physicochemical and coliform bacteria indicated that the water quali ty of the Mae Kha canal had significantly deteriorated.The biological indices also indicated the poor to very poor water quality.This study underscores the urgent need for compre hensive remediation efforts, emphasizing strategic planning, investment, and community engagement to revive the canal's ecological health and water quality.
Manene et al. (Mon,) studied this question.