MOJ Ecology & Environmental Sciences Research Article Open Access A mini project: monitoring and assessment for water quality of study area, gombak river Abstract Volume 3 Issue 2 - 2018 The proposal for this project was submitted to the National River Care Fund, Malaysia on Sept-Oct 2016 by a group of students from the UCSI University Aquatic Science Regina LZL,1,2 Teo SS,1,2 Tennat A,3 Lim LH1,2 Student Association (AQSA). The location of the project was selected as a continuation 1Aquatic Science Programme, Department of Applied Sciences, of the community services carried out by a previous batch of students. The seven UCSI University, Malaysia month project was used to measure water quality parameters for the Gombak river 2Aquatic Science Student Association, Department of Applied at the Batu 12 village location. Samples were collected each month from February Sciences, UCSI University, Malaysia 2017 until August 2017. Based on the water quality testing which indicated that 3Stella Maris International School, Malaysia the water is not contaminated or polluted, it was decided that an aquaponic system would be constructed instead of the hydroponic system mentioned in the proposal Correspondence: Lim LH, Department of Applied Sciences, because the water quality is good enough for both vegetables and fish to grow and the UCSI University, No.1 Jalan Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, community can benefit from this system. A suitable area for setting the systems up was 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, W. P. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tel: identified and site preparation activities were commenced immediately. The water in 603-910-188-80, Email [email protected] the aquaponic system was quarantined for a month before the fish were transfered to it from the laboratory. Local communities are guided and advised to monitor the systems Received: December 18, 2017 | Published: March 14, 2018 and seed germination will be carried out by them regularly. The students from UCSI University were able to convert their knowledge learned in classes into a practical application during the project timeline. Introduction and amounts of contaminants entering the water-bodies a panel of potential contaminants first needs to be established. Statistical Overpopulation has become one of the most pressing analysis is commonly used to ensure all the measurements taken at environmental concerns. This increase in world population has led regular intervals over a substantial period of time have a useful degree to more pressure affecting some of the core environmental aspects of reliability.1 of our existence. Aspects including energy security, climate change, air pollution, water quality and land-use change. The expansion Natural resources support economic activities in many ways. In of human activities pressures the environmental services that are Malaysia, individuals and organizations are needed for cooperative supplied by nature. The environmental impacts derived from global action to support effective and sustainable natural resource use. warming, acid rain, air pollution, waste disposal, water pollution and However, as mentioned above, human population size has increased many more affect every ecosystem and organism. Environmental tremendously and this means demand for resources and goods has issues have become an important concern and are an important part also grown. This increase in demand and pressure on environmental of international relations. Society, as a whole, is becoming more services can be clearly seen as an impact on numerous water-bodies aware of the environmental impacts that we, humans, are creating. around the country around the country. Increasingly, the rivers and Advances in information technology and growing access to the sea have been damaged by the disposing of all kinds of waste into internet means that greater numbers of people have access to more these systems. Due to such irresponsible behavior, the ponds, lakes, information than at any other time in human history. This knowledge stream, rivers, estuaries and oceans are becoming polluted in Malaysia availability can be one of the drivers that can help us to overcome (Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2009). Water quality is the the environmental issues that we have created. Non-governmental evidence of the health of an ecosystem. It sustains the ecological organizations (NGO), with cooperation from state governments, processes for organism populations, wetlands, birdlife and vegetation. have come together to derive strategies related to the protection of At various sites along the Gombak River (Sungai Gombak), the major Mother Earth for future generations. One of the methods to find out problems contributing to pollution are sewage discharge, chemical the causal agents or problems that might be affecting an ecosystem discharge, wastewater treatment plant discharge, industrial discharge is by monitoring and assessment. The principles of environmental and rapid urbanization.2,3 The Malaysia government has implemented monitoring and assessment is designing the monitoring systems using a number of campaigns to collect solids wastes from the Gombak different parameters, and then use that monitoring information in River and as a result the impact of solid waste has been reduced. assessing the effects of natural resources management and pollution For example, River of Life (ROF) was tasked by the Department of risks. Environmental monitoring is necessary to estimate the present Irrigation and Drain (DID) to monitor, coordinate and ensure the river status of the ecosystem and thus to establish a baseline for further is well managed. Unfortunately, the most difficult types of waste to monitoring. This baseline can then be used to estimate trends and remove are dissolved salts such as nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and identify the problem in the environment and test for compliance other nutrients, and toxic metal ions. with standards. This type of approach is especially appropriate for Another impact is suspended particulates, particularly from runoff aquatic systems. In order to identify and estimate the possible types from tin mining and palm oil plantations.4,5 This impacts the turbidity Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com MOJ Eco Environ Sci. 2018;3(2):60–63. 60 © 2018 Regina et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Copyright: A mini project: monitoring and assessment for water quality of study area, gombak river ©2018 Regina et al. 61 of the water, which has an impact on aquatic life and may cause issues indicates the water is seriously contaminated. Thus, the objective of with spawning, feeding and fowling of gill slits.6,7 These issues affect this study was to monitor and assess the water quality of the Gombak a significant area of Malaysia. However, it impacts those groups of River to find out if it is suitable for human consumption, especially for people designated as “Orang Asli” more severely than most others. Orang Asli settlements. The Orang Asli are the ethnic natives of Malaysia and still rely heavily on traditional methods of food gathering and for fresh water. These traditional methods are greatly dependent on rivers.8 One such catchment area and river is the Gombak river system. An option for supplementing the traditional methods of food harvest from rivers is the use of aquaponics. Particularly gravity flow systems that will not require electricity and can use indigenous species. This sort of system can supplement, or even temporarily replace, traditional harvest when the environment is placed under stress from human impacts. Aquaponics is an approach that utilizes both aquaculture for raring fish and hydroponics for growing plants. Each part of the system supplements the other and nitrogenous waste, which can be very harmful to the environment, is reduced or removed.9‒12 Therefore, there is a need to propose a plan in order to monitor and manage the status of the Gombak River by measuring Figure 1 The location of the Gombak River. the water quality and analyzing the parameters of pH, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Methodology Dissolved Oxygen (DO), turbidity, ammonia content, phosphate content, heavy metals and total suspended solids. In addition the use Water quality monitoring is defined as water sampling and of a naturally occurring species of fish, Tilapia, was proposed as a bio- analysis. The monitoring program will evaluate the physical, chemical indicator species. This species was supplemented with another fish, and biological parameters. Each parameter, including pH, turbidity, Puyu, and a local vegetable species called Kangkong. ammonia content, phosphate content, and total suspended solid was monitored and analyzed from February 2017 to August 2017. The Site description sampling locations are at, or near to, Batu 12 Village (3.289; 101.731). The study area of this proposal is the Gombak River. The Gombak Water sampling is carried out at 6 different points along the river. River is a slow-flowing river that flows through the Selangor and There are 2 different points upstream of the Batu 12 village, 2 different Kuala Lumpur districts of peninsula Malaysia. The Gombak River is points within the Batu 12 village and 2 different points downstream of located mainly in Gombak District, Selangor and the downstream zone the Gombak River watershed. These points