Water Quality of the Jerteh River Basin, Terengganu, Malaysia During the Northeast Monsoon

Abstract

Human activities that cause land use changes are factors affecting the river’s water quality. This study was centred on assessing the quality of the water in the Jerteh River basin that was affected by the land use changes. The water samples were collected at five monitoring stations along the Jerteh River. The fieldwork was conducted between November 2017 and February 2018. The water samples were analysed in the laboratory for six water quality parameters: Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N), Alkalinity Index (pH) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO). The results showed that the water quality index forthe Jerteh River was classified as moderately polluted (Class II). Three parameters, namely COD, TSS, and NH3-N, were in Classes III and IV during the study period. This study concludes that land use changes due to human activities have impacted the water quality of the Jerteh River basin during the Northeast Monsoon season. Therefore, mitigation and drastic measures should significantly improve the Jerteh River basin’s water quality. All relevant parties should have worked collectively to improve the water quality of the Jerteh River rather than leaving it to the authorities.