Development of a pollution index for ports

The concept of a port pollution index is relatively new and as a result, there remains a need to introduce the concept to several audiences- particularly port users and operators- and to better understand its usage and benefits. It is in view of these that this study aimed to develop a port pollution index with Port Newcastle, Australia port as a case study. Amongst the different kinds of port pollution, water and air pollution were selected for consideration in this study because these two pollution types amount for the largest percentage of port pollution. Secondary data collection was the data collection method adopted for the study and the data were obtained from credible sources for the variables under consideration covering both summer and winter season. Collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Index parameters were formulated. The pollution index of the port (PPI) is found to be low with an index value of 26.73 during the winter period and 28.56 during the summer. P- Value of 0.03 at a correlation of 0.999 shows a strong significant correlation for the port pollution index between the summer and winter season. While the water pollution index (WPI) analysis of the case study unveiled that the lower DO levels and higher fecal coliforms markedly reduced the water quality of the port, air pollution index (AQI) analysis of the data set shows PM10 and PM2.5 as the major pollutants of the port under review with a minimum value of 71.2 μg/m3and 58.3 μg/m3 respectively. Emissions from ship engines is the major source of pollution which determines the ambient air pollution while shipping activities are major factors responsible for pollution of port water, the port quality index of port Newcastle is however found to be good for both winter and summer seasonal period with the PPI higher during the winter and lower during the summer time. The index formulated by this research can help port users determine the pollution level at a particular port. It can also help port managers determine and take control measure at all time.