Abstract: Being the life line of the valley of Kashmir, the water quality of River Jhelum has a direct bearing on the sustenance of flora and fauna of the valley. This paper deals with a trend analysis of fourteen water quality parameters monitored at three stations located along River Jhelum from the year 2001 to 2012 by CWC (Central Water Commission, India). The analysis is performed on seasonal and annual timescales using both parametric and non-parametric methods – Mann-Kendall test and linear regression respectively. Also, this study highlights the advantages of non-parametric methods over parametric methods for studying water quality data that is not normally distributed.The results indicate an increase in the concentrations of water quality parameters of the River during the study period. The increase can be attributed to the continuing loading of the river with pollutants and to the lack of an appropriate management plan. Keywords -Linear regression, Mann-Kendall test, River Jhelum, water quality parameters.
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