Water-Quality Assessment of the Langat River at Kilometre 7, Jalan Kajang-Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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Water-Quality Assessment of the Langat River at Kilometre 7, Jalan Kajang-Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Muhammad Barzani Gasim, Mazen M. Jamil and Sahibin Abd Rahim School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/12/3-4/188/1448477/arwg_12_3-4_l511557453vpl178.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Mohd. Ekhwan Toriman School of Social Development and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia The Langat River is one of the main sources of Key words: Langat River, river pollution, water water supply for the Selangor area. For water- analysis, water-quality classification, Malaysia quality analysis, water sampling was carried out at five stations during the wet (November 2009) La Langat River est l’une des principales and dry (February 2010) seasons. These five sources d’approvisionnement en eau de la stations are located along the river, with the région de Selangor. Pour l’analyse de la qualité exception of station 3. Station 1 and station 2 are de l’eau de la Langat River au kilomètre 7, des located upstream station 3, while station 4 and échantillons ont été prélevés à cinq points station 5 lie downstream of station 3. Station 3 pendant la saison humide (Novembre 2009) et differs from the other four stations because it is a pendant la saison sèche (Février 2010). Ces cinq discharge from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia stations de mesure sont situées le long de la campus. This study was conducted to determine rivière à l’exception de la troisième : la première water quality as well as levels of pollution, et la seconde sont situées en amont de la based on the Water Quality Index (WQI) and the troisième, et la quatrième et la cinquième en Malaysian Interim National Water Quality aval. La troisième station diffère des quatre Standard (INWQS), of the Langat River at Km 7. autres car elle est située sur un écoulement du A total of 14 water-quality parameters—temper- campus UKM. Cette étude a été menée pour ature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, déterminer la qualité de l’eau ainsi que les chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical niveaux de pollution, utilisant l’Indice de qualité oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids de l’eau (Water Quality Index - WQI) et la (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), PO4, NO3-, Norme nationale malaysienne intérimaire de la NH3-N, SO4, oil and grease, and E. coli—were qualité de l’eau (Malaysian Interim National selected and analyzed in situ and in the labora- Water Quality Standard - INWQS),. Un total de tory. The laboratory work was carried out 14 paramètres—temperature, pH, oxygène according to Hach and American Public Health dissous, conductivité, demande chimique Association (APHA) methods. All 14 water-qual- d’oxygène, demande biochimique d’oxygène, ity parameters were found to be within the total des solides suspendus, total des solides normal range according to INWQS, with the dissous, PO4, NO3-, NH3-N, SO4, huiles et graisses, exception of NH3-N, PO4, and E. coli, all of et E. coli—ont été sélectionnés et analysés in which exceeded the recommended levels. Based situ et en laboratoire. Les études de laboratoires on the WQI classification, the Langat River can ont été conduites selon les méthodes HACH et be categorized as moderately polluted, or Class APHA. Pour les 14 paramètres de qualité de III, at all sampling stations, except at station 3 l’eau, les données sont dans les fourchettes during the first sampling (November 2009), normales de la norme malaysienne INWQS, à where it is categorized as Class II. l’exception de NH3-N, PO4, et de E. coli, qui ont des valeurs dépassant le niveau recommandé. The Arab World Geographer/Le Géographe du monde arabe Vol 12, No 3-4 (2009) 188–198 © 2009 by AWG Publishing, Toronto, Canada Water-Quality Assessment of the Langat River 189 En suivant la classification de l’Indice de qualité the river’s catchment area has been subject de l’eau, la rivière Langat peut être classée to deforestation, intensification of agricul- comme étant moyennement polluée, ou en ture, soil erosion, urbanization, and industri- Catégorie III, dans les cinq stations, sauf pour le alization; as a result, water pollution and premier échantillon prélevé à la troisième water shortages have now become a severe station qui est de catégorie II. problem (Muhiyuddin and Rainis 2002; Mots-clés : Langat River, pollution fluviale, Elfithri et al. 2002), drawing attention from analyse hydraulique, classification de la qualité the public and the government. These prob- de l’eau, Malaisie lems have raised ethical issues with respect Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/12/3-4/188/1448477/arwg_12_3-4_l511557453vpl178.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 to how people can make good use of a huge Introduction and complex data set containing a large number of physicochemical parameters. The Langat River is located in the western Further-more, water has been the main part of Peninsular Malaysia, lying within commodity for economic development in latitudes 2°40’152” N to 3°16’15” N and Malaysia, frequently described as the bind- longitudes 101°19’20” E to 102°01’10” E. ing force, fuel, or basic infrastructure for The Langat Basin occupied an area of about development (Abdullah and Jusoh 1997). 2 938 km2 and had an estimated population Thus, Noorazuan and Kadaruddin (1999) of about 962 694 in 1998 (Nordin et al. predicted that the increase in population in 1999). The Langat River basin is unique in the Langat River basin would cause water that it passes through three distinct adminis- deficit by 2010. It is important to study the trative regions: the federal territory of water quality of the river by measuring Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, the state of water-quality characteristics through Selangor, and the state of Negeri Sembilan conventional techniques that give direct (Nordin and Azrina 1998). The entire basin results on pollution status. covers slightly less than 2 400 km2; its The Langat River basin is a major centre uppermost stretch originates from the of manufacturing industries in the state of Titiwangsa main range in the state of Selangor (Fariz and Nordin 2000), and this Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. The total development increasingly attracts people to length of this river has been recorded at the basin from other parts of the country to 200 km; the river ends at the Strait of take advantage of job opportunities. The Malacca. The Langat River has several trib- Langat River plays a significant role in the utaries, the principal ones being the ecology of the basin, providing potable Semenyih, Lui, and Beranang Rivers. There drinking water to residents within the basin are two reservoir sites, the Langat and as well as in the highly urbanized Klang Semenyih Dams, located the upstream of the Valley, industries, and agricultural areas Langat River catchments. In addition, the (Nordin et al. 1999). The river also provides development of new townships such as recreational sites and habitats for fish and Bandar Baru Nilai and the expansion of other aquatic wildlife. However, recent existing towns and villages such as Kajang, development activities in the basin threaten Dengkil, and Semenyih have contributed to water quality in the river and have the poten- increasing population density with concomi- tial to disrupt its ability to supply water tant urbanization and industrialization, requirements. In addition, pollution by which have the potential to cause complex industries, manufacturers, commercial oper- environmental problems. ations, and animal farms along the river have The Langat River currently plays a the potential to aggravate the drop in water crucial role in water supply, fishing, waste quality (DOE 1998; Mazlin et al. 2000). The disposal, agriculture, and industry. However, objectives of the present study were to The Arab World Geographer/Le Géographe du monde arabe 12, no 3-4 (2009) 190 Gasim, Jamil, Rahim and Toriman Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/awg/article-pdf/12/3-4/188/1448477/arwg_12_3-4_l511557453vpl178.pdf by guest on 23 September 2021 FIGURE 1 Locations of five sampling stations along the Langat River determine water-quality conditions in the except for station 3, which is a discharge point Langat River upstream and downstream of from UKM before joining the river. the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) campus and to determine pollution levels of Sampling Methodology the Langat River based on Water Quality Index (WQI) and Interim National Water Study of the development of water-quality Quality Standards (INWQS) classifications. criteria and standards for Malaysia, initiated by the Department of Environment (DOE) in Study Area 1986, has recommended a set of Interim National Water Quality Standards (INWQS) The study area of the Langat River is located for individual water-quality parameters. The between latitudes 2°40’152” N and 3°16’ INWQS and the WQI define six classes of 15“ N and between longitudes 101°19’20” E water quality (I, IIA, IIB, III, IV, and V) and and 102°01’10” E (see Figure 1). Sampling identify the highest sustainable beneficial uses stations in the study area were divided into five, for each class (DOE 1994). Five sampling based on different activities along the Langat stations were set up in the study area. Two River. All stations were located along the river bottle samples were collected from each The Arab World Geographer/Le Géographe du monde arabe 12, no 3-4 (2009) Water-Quality Assessment of the Langat River 191 station. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) season. During the wet season, pH values samples were collected in black bottles, water ranged from 5.55 to 6.39, for a mean of 6.05 samples for other purposes were collected in (see Figure 2b).