Makrozoobentos Sebagai Bioindikator Kualitas Air di Sungai Belawan

Abstract

This study aims to analyze macrozoobenthos as bioindicators of water quality in Belawan River, Medan City. Belawan River is one of the main rivers that crosses residential, industrial, and aquaculture areas, so it is potentially polluted due to domestic and industrial waste disposal activities. This study used the “Purposive sampling” method, sampling was conducted at three different stations. The research methods included the identification of macrozoobenthos species, the density measurement, the diversity index (Shannon-Wiener), the uniformity index, and the analysis of water physico-chemical factors such as temperature, pH, DO, BOD, COD, ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate. The results show there are differences in macrozoobenthos density at each station. The macrozoobenthos genus found, such as Tarebia and Telescopium, are known to have tolerance toward moderately polluted water conditions, so their presence can be used as an indicator of decreased water quality. Pearson correlation analysis show a significant relationship between several water quality parameters and macrozoobenthos density and diversity.