Water Pollution and Water Quality Assessment On Sungai Batang Melaka River

Zakariah, Ridzwan; Othman, Norzila; Mohd Yusoff, Mohd Azlan; Altowayti, Wahid Ali Hamood

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2021.79685.3917

Water Pollution and Water Quality Assessment On Sungai Batang Melaka River

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia

² MicroPollutant Research Centre, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia

10.21608/ejchem.2021.79685.3917

Abstract

The Gadek Water Treatment Plant in Melaka with a production capacity of 55 million liters per day (Mld) supplies treated water to consumers in the district of Alor Gajah Melaka. The raw water source for the plant is obtained from Sungai Batang Melaka. On 15th April 2016, a report was received on the pollution of the river which impacted the operation of the Gadek Water Treatment Plant. An investigation was immediately launched by the Department of Environment (JAS) with the cooperation of the Badan Kawalselia Air Melaka (BKSAM) and Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad (SAMB) and it was ascertained that water abstracted at the plant intake point was murky with a strong odour emanating from it. Preliminary surveys found that this was due to many activities carried out such as aquaculture effluent discharge by commercial catfish farm operators as well as effluent from sand mining activities that enter Sungai Batang Melaka and continue to flow into the inlet of Gadek Water Treatment Plant. In conjunction with that, this study aims to identify the economic activities that are operating along a stretch of Sungai Batang Melaka which has a direct impact on river water quality. This study will be focusing on point source and non-point source pollution, followed by a study on the river water quality parameters based on the Water Quality Index (WQI) and eventually identify the river classification of Sungai Batang Melaka. A total of twelve (12) stations were selected to obtain the water samples needed for a distance of 24 kilometres stretch of the river, while the laboratory analysis was based on HACH and APHA methods. The study shows that the raw water quality of Sungai Batang Melaka is influenced by point source and non-point source pollution, the main contributing factor being commercial fish breeding. Result obtained in this study shows the physical-chemical parameters of Sungai Batang Melaka are pH (5.97-7.68), TSS (19-426), DO (0.38-5.12), BOD (2-64.5), COD (9.2-120) and AN (0.58-17.16). Overall, the WQI for Sungai Batang Melaka was classified as a Class IV river in 2016, with an upgrade to Class III in 2017. Hopefully, the study's findings will provide the essential knowledge to ensure that this progress continues in the future.

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