Kualiti air Sungai UTM: Satu penilaian awal berpandukan enam parameter Indeks Kualiti Air (Water quality of UTM River: A preliminary assessment based on six parameters of Water Quality Index)

Abstract

Sudah menjadi pengetahuan umum bahawa pembangunan pesat telah mencemarkan banyak sungai di Malaysia di mana daripada 150 batang sungai utama, 41peratus telah tercemar. Kajian ini menampilkan satu lagi contoh hakikat ini. Kualiti air Sungai UTM diniali dengan berpandukan enam parameter utama Indeks Kualiti Air, iaitu Oksigen Terlarut (DO), Permintaan Oksigen Biokimia (BOD), Permintaan Oksigen Kimia (COD), Nitrogen Ammonia (NH3N), Indeks Kealkalian (pH), dan Pepejal Terampai (SS). Manakala suhu (°C) sebagai faktor luaran juga turut diambil kira dalam mempengaruhi kepekatan enam parameter kualiti air sungai tersebut. Sebanyak lapan stesen yang terletak di sepanjang Sungai UTM telah dijadikan sampel kajian ini. Analisis data telah dilakukan di tapak dan di makmal. Hasil analisis menunjukkan COD, BOD, dan NH3N didapati tinggi di beberapa stesen di bahagian pertengahan Sungai UTM, diikuti dengan parameter SS yang mempunyai nilai tinggi di bahagian hulu Sungai UTM, dan nilai parameter DO pula tinggi di akhir bahagian pertengahan dan muara Sungai UTM. Manakala pH pula berada pada keadaan neutral, iaitu tidak berasid dan tidak beralkali. Pencemaran ini berlaku disebabkan pelepasan sisa cecair dan pepejal akibat aktiviti pembasuhan, pembinaan, pemeliharaan kuda dan padang permainan di kawasan berhampiran. Oleh itu, pengurusan dan pengawalan harus diperketatkan bagi mengelakkan pencemaran air sungai UTM daripada berterusan.

Katakunci: kepekatan, pencemaran air, pengawetan, penilaian kualiti air, sisa, sumber air

It is a well-known fact that rapid development has caused widespread water pollution in Malaysia where 41 per cent of the 150 main rivers are polluted. This study provides another illustration of this fact . The water quality of the UTM River was assessed according to the six main parameters of Water Quality Index, namely, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3N), Alcalinity or Acidity Index (pH), and Suspended Solid (SS). Water temperature (°C) was considered as an external factor and a total of eight stations along UTM River are choosen as samples for the study. The results revealed that the value of COD, BOD, and NH3N was high at some stations in the middle of the river. The SS parameter that had high value at the upstream, and the DO parameter value was high at the middle-end and at the downstream. The pH value is in neutral condition where neither it is acidic nor alkaline. The overall contamination of the UTM river occured due to liquid and solid waste from construction, horse stables and football fields. Tightening solid waste disposal along the river would reduce this pollution trend.

Keywords: pollutants, solid waste, water pollution, water quality assessment, Water Quality Index, water resources