Assessment of the quality of Moroccan bottled water by application of quality indices

Water quality indices (WQI) are essential tools for the overall assessment of the quality of water reserved for human consumption or for other uses. In the present study, two WQI were selected for the assessment of bottled waters: the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME-WQI) index and the bottled water quality index (BWQI). Both indices illustrate the composite influence of different water quality parameters and communicate water quality information to the public and legislative decision-makers. Another indicator of water quality (total hardness–total dissolved solids) is used to compare these results with the two quality indices. The results obtained showed that the mineral waters EM₂, EM₄, EM₇, spring water E_S and table water are of excellent quality. Waters EM₁, EM₃, EM₅, and EM₆ are good enough to drink. By contrast, the gaseous mineral waters (EM_G and EM_GL) are considered unacceptable for sustained or substantial consumption.