International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)

13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

RIVER CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THE PHYSICO-

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES IN THE PETANI RIVER BASIN
HAZZEMAN HARIS*, WAN MAZNAH W. O AND MASHHOR MANSOR
School of Biology, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Pulau Pinang,
Malaysia.
*ha33eman@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

Water samples collected from 6 sites along the Petani River Basin were analyzed for
alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, nitrite,
nitrate, ammonia, orthophosphate, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total suspended solids
(TSS). River classification was made possible by calculating the Water Quality Index (WQI)
where 100 represent the highest water quality. The highest mean WQI was recorded at Petani
River-Jetty (54.35) while the lowest mean was recorded at Petani River-Bus (47.59).
Generally the sampling stations that were located in the centre of the Sungai Petani town
showed lower WQI value compared to the other sampling stations which were located near
the Petani River source and near the confluence of the Merbok River. Gelugor River recorded
a higher concentration of nitrite and nitrate compared to other sites while Sungai Petani-Jetty
has the highest alkalinity and TDS value throughout the whole sampling period. Sungai
Petani-Jetty also showed the lowest ammonia concentration. The one-way ANOVA analysis
conducted showed no significant differences in the amount of TSS and orthophosphate
between all of the sites and sampling interval.

Keywords: Water Quality Index; physico-chemical properties; nutrients

INTRODUCTION
Malaysia has an annual rainfall of 3000 mm or 990 billion m3 of which 566 billion m3
appears as surface run-off, 64 billion m3 becomes groundwater recharge and 360 billion m3
return to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration [1]. Being the nation with the highest
water consumption, freshwater resources such as streams and rivers are of paramount
importance to the development of the country since they contributed up to 98% of the total
water used in Malaysia and the rest are from groundwater [2].
As the nation develops and increases in population, a serious water crisis such as
pollution due to poor planning can cause environmental degradation and a decline in
beneficial use of river [3]. Therefore regardless of the abundance of water, there is a shortage
of clean water for human consumption of the population [3].
The major aim of this study was to evaluate the river surface water using the Water
Quality Index and the classification used by the Malaysian Department of Environment
(DOE). Other physico-chemical analyses were also done to determine the level of pollution in
the river.

Petani River Basin. Petani River is the main river that flows through the centre of the town
of Sungai Petani. The commercial centre for the town is situated on both sides of the
riverbanks between 4500 m to 6000 m from the confluence. The total length of Petani River
is 12.5 km with a 3500 ha of catchments area (including the catchments areas of its
tributaries). Petani River is tidal in nature from the confluence until more than 6 km upstream
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

[4]. Industrial, commercial and residential areas are the main types of land use in the
catchment areas of Petani River. The Gelugor River, Bakar Arang River and Air Mendidih
River are the main tributaries of the Petani River system.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Water samples ware collected monthly from September 2005 to February 2006 using
a home made water sampler and kept in polyethylene bottle which were later preserved at 4ºC.
All the water quality analysis which comprised of nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, orthophosphate,
alkalinity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total
suspended solids (TSS) were carried out according to APHA [5]. Total dissolved solids
(TDS), conductivity, salinity and temperature were measured in-situ using ‘sensION5
conductivity meter’. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured using YSI Model 57 oxygen
meter while the pH value was determined using a CyberScan 500 pH meter.
Water Quality Index (WQI) was calculated using the mean values of DO, BOD, COD,
pH, ammonia-N (AN) and TSS. The values were converted to sub indices (SIs) using the
best-fit equation and aggregated to compute the WQI according to the following equation [6]:

WQI = 0.22 × SI DO + 0.19 × SI BOD + 0.16 × SI COD + 0.15 × SI AN + 0.16 ×

SI SS + 0.12 × SI pH,

where SI is the sub index of each parameter. The descriptions of the water quality status
related to the WQI are stated in Table 1 which is according to the values referred by the
Malaysian Department of Environment [7]. Table 2 explains the type of uses associated with
each class of water quality.

Table 1: Water Quality Index Used by the DOE [7]

Parameter Class
Unit I II III IV V
Ammoniacal mg/L < 0.1 0.1 – 0.3 0.3 – 0.9 0.9 – 2.7 > 2.7
Nitrogen
BOD mg/L <1 1-3 3-6 6 - 12 > 12
COD mg/L < 10 10 - 25 25 - 50 50 - 100 > 100
DO mg/L >7 5-7 3-5 1-3 <1
pH mg/L > 7.0 6.0 – 7.0 5.0 – 6.0 < 5.0 > 5.0
Total Suspend mg/L < 25 25 - 50 50 - 150 150 - 300 > 300
Solids
Water Quality > 92.7 76.5 – 92.7 51.9 – 76.5 31.0 – 51.9 < 31.0
Index

Table 2: The Classification of Water Quality and Their Uses.

Class Uses
I Conservation of natural environment water supply I- practically no treatment
necessary.
II A Water supply II – conventional treatment required
II B Recreational use with body contact
III Water supply III – extensive treatment required
IV Irrigation
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The water classification for each sampling station is shown in Table 3. The lowest
Water quality index (WQI) obtained was 47.59 recorded at Petani River-Bus, which means
that it is the most polluted site and falls in Class 4 according to the river classification system
by the DOE. The highest WQI was recorded at Petani River-Jetty with a value of 54.35 and
falls in Class 3. The water at Petani River-Jetty has the best water quality compared to the
rest (Table 3).

Table 3: Water Quality Index Values for Each Sampling Stations along Sungai Petani
River Basin.

Stations Water Quality Index Class

Pasir Kecil 52.51 3
Air Mendidih 53.00 3
Gelugor 51.18 4
Bakar Arang 51.19 4
Petani-Bus 47.59 4
Petani-Jetty 54.35 3

The low WQI recorded in Petani River-Bus may be due to the accumulation of waste
from the upstream. This is in agreement with the report by the DOE [7] that the rivers in
Malaysia were slightly polluted or polluted at the downstream [8]. The finding from this
study is also similar to the findings made by Arienzo et al., [9]. The study conducted focused
on the impact of land use and urban runoff on the contamination of the Sarno river basin in
southern Italy and their results had indicated degradation in the river water quality especially
near the river mouth. This can be attributed to several man induced activities such as urban
runoff to surface river water due to direct or unregulated discharges in the Petani River or its
tributaries. While the slightly better WQI recorded in Petani River-Jetty can be caused by the
dilution of nutrients by the seawater from the confluence where Petani River joins the
Merbok River.
Generally the DO, BOD and ammonia level recorded at all sites falls into class 4
except Petani River-Jetty that was in class 3. The COD level in Pasir Kecil River, Air
Mendidih River, Gelugor River and Bakar Arang River were in class 4 while Petani River-
Bus and Petani River-Jetty were in class 5. The amount of TSS in Air Mendidih River,
Gelugor River and Bakar Arang River were in class 1, while Pasir Kecil River and Petani
River-Bus falls in class 2. Petani River-Jetty has the highest amount of TSS and falls into
class 3. The pH level at all site were in class 2.
The amount of nitrate in Pasir Kecil River and Petani River-Jetty was significantly
different from the amount recorded in Gelugor River (p<0.05). The mean nitrate for Pasir
Kecil River and Petani River-Jetty was 0.02 ± 0.02 mg/L and 0.17 ± 0.12 mg/L respectively,
while the mean value obtain at Gelugor River was 1.6 ± 1.42 mg/L. The highest
concentration of nitrate was recorded in December at Gelugor River (4.26 mg/L) while the
lowest was also recorded in December at Pasir Kecil River (0.004 mg/L) (Figure 1).
There were significant differences in the concentration of nitrite between sites
(p<0.05). The Tukey HSD test showed that there were 2 homogenous subsets where the first
group consisted of Pasir Kecil River, Bakar Arang River and Petani River-Jetty while the
second group was made up of the Gelugor River. This means that there were significant
differences between the sites that incorporate each group. The mean concentration of nitrite at
Pasir Kecil River was 0.02 ± 0.02 mg/L, 0.06 ± 0.02 mg/L at Bakar Arang River and 0.06 ±
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

0.04 mg/L at Petani River-Jetty. The highest concentration was recorded at Gelugor River
(0.77 mg/L) in September and the lowest concentration was recorded at Pasir Kecil River
(0.01 mg/L) also in September (Figure 2).
The higher concentrations of nitrite and nitrate at each site in December compared to
the other months can be explained by the higher rainfall reported by the Malaysian
Meteorological Service for that particular month which was around 300 mm. The higher
rainfall will increase urban runoff and surface runoff especially from the industrial and
residential areas located at the Bakar Arang Industrial Area, which will increased the amount
of nitrite and nitrate in the Petani River and its tributaries. Nitric acid that was carried in
rainfall as a result of high energy fixation between atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen can also
contribute to the higher concentration of nitrite and nitrate in the river since high-energy
fixation accounts for almost 10 Tg (or Teragram, where 1 Tg is the equivalent of 1 million
metric tons) of nitrate entering the nitrogen cycle [10].
The highest concentration of orthophosphate was recorded at Gelugor River (0.864
mg/L) in October and the lowest concentration was recorded at Petani River-Bus (0.018 mg/L)
(Figure 7) in February. Orthophosphate concentration was generally stable during the
sampling period except for a few occasions where the reading fluctuated at the Gelugor River,
Pasir Kecil River and the Bakar Arang River. The high concentration recorded at Pasir Kecil
River can be due to runoff from agriculture sites. The area along Pasir Kecil River was being
developed during the sampling period and the clearance of land in this area has made it more
susceptible to soil erosion. The trees and shrubs cleared from this land were dumped near the
river and this contributed to the enrichment of orthophosphate when it decomposed.
Meanwhile the high orthophosphate concentration recorded at Bakar Arang River (January)
and Gelugor River (October and February) can be due to untreated domestic sewage that
contains high amount of phosphorus from detergent, toothpaste and etc.
The clearing activities along the riverbanks of Petani River and its tributaries
increased leaching of chemical and soluble that pollutes the river. This situation is similar to
the findings made by Abdul Rahim and Zulkifli [11] which reported the removal of forest
cover especially the undergrowth and litter layer induced erosion and enhanced leaching of
chemical and other solutes. The additional source of organic matters in the form of shrubs
and trees that had been cut down to clear the land, coupled with greater sunlight exposure
enhanced microbiological activities leading to higher rates of decomposition, mineralization
and nitrification [11].
The mean alkalinity in Pasir Kecil River (48.60 ± 24.05 mg/L) and Air Mendidih
River (55.23 ± 9.00 mg/L) was significantly different from the mean alkalinity of Petani
River-jetty (90.49 ± 16.73mg/L) (ANOVA, p<0.05). Comparison made between sampling
intervals showed that the mean in December (47.50 ± 10.78 mg/L) was significantly different
from the value recorded in September (81.32 ± 23.22 mg/L) (ANOVA, p<0.05). The highest
alkalinity was recorded in September at Petani River-Jetty (108.07 mg/L) and the lowest was
recorded at Pasir Kecil River (19.26 mg/L) in October (Figure 3). Alkalinity in December
was also low. This phenomenon can also be attributed to the higher rainfall in that particular
month. Rain water will dilute the bicarbonate in the river water and thus reduced its ability to
resist the changes in pH [12].
Significant difference was found in the concentration of ammonia between the
sampling months (Figure 4) (ANOVA, p<0.05). The concentration of ammonia in February
(0.07 ± 0.04 mg/L) was significantly different from the value recorded in October (1.47 ±
0.61 mg/L), January (1.61 ± 1.20 mg/L), November (2.03 ± 0.63 mg/L) and December (2.18
± 0.91 mg/L). The highest concentration was recorded at Pasir Kecil River (3.49 mg/L) in
January, while the lowest concentration was recorded in Petani River-Jetty (0.01 mg/L) in
February. The high concentration of ammonia at Pasir Kecil River can be caused by the usage
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

of urea fertilizer by the local residents on their farms. Since these farms were located near the
river, surface runoff washed the urea into the river. The low rainfall in January increased the
concentration of ammonia in Kecil River. Since it is a small flowing water body, the nature of
this river makes it more vulnerable to weather changes compared to other sampling stations.
With no rain to dilute the water and low concentration of DO, the water inhibits the aerobic
bacteria from processing the organic compound into something less dangerous, stable and
less smelly such as nitrite and nitrate [13].
Three homogenous subsets existed when the amount of TDS was compared between
sites. This shows that there is a significant difference between the three subset groups. The
first group consisted of Pasir Kecil River (74.67 mg/L), Air Mendidih River (95.5 mg/L),
Bakar Arang River (1160.83 mg/L) and Gelugor River (3191.00). The second group
consisted of Bakar Arang River, Gelugor River and Petani River-Bus (6695.50 mg/L) while
the third group consisted of Petani River-Jetty (11881.67 mg/L) and Petani River-Bus station.
The highest TDS recorded was 17000 mg/L at Petani River-Jetty while lowest TDS was 9
mg/L were recorded in both Pasir Kecil River and Air Mendidih River (Figure 5). The sudden
increase in TDS at almost every site in January can be attributed to the low monthly rainfall
recorded in that particular month. The rainfall was below 50 mm in the northern area of
peninsular Malaysia (source: Malaysian Meteorological Service). The low rainfall is
suspected to increase the concentration of dissolved solids in the river water hence increasing
the TDS value.
The highest amount of TSS was recorded at Petani River-Jetty in January (170 mg/L)
and the lowest TSS was recorded in February at Air Mendidih River (4 mg/L) (Figure 6). The
high TSS recorded in January at Petani River-Bus and Petani River-Jetty station may be due
to the boating activity in this part of the river. Since the sampling was done during high tide,
boating activity by the local fisherman was high. As the boats move along the river, the
waves created by these boats eroded the riverbank especially in areas that were not covered
with mangrove forest. The high tide also might bring in suspended solids from the Merbok
River.
It can be concluded that the cause of pollution in Petani River were due to the
anthropogenic sources from industries and urbanisation along the river bank.

Nitrate
4.5
Pasir
4 Kecil
Nitrate (NO3-N) mg/L

3.5 Air
Mendidih
3
Gelugor
2.5
2 Bakar
Arang
1.5 Petani-
1 Bus
Petani-
0.5
Jetty
0
September October November December January February
Month

Figure 1: The Concentration of Nitrate from September 2005 to February 2006 at All
Sites.
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

Nitrite
0.9
Pasir
0.8 Kecil
Air
Nitrite (NO2-N) mg/L
0.7
Mendidih
0.6 Gelugor
0.5
Bakar
0.4 Arang
Petani-
0.3
Bus
0.2 Petani-
Jetty
0.1
0
September October November December January February

Month

Figure 2: The Concentration of Nitrite at Each Site from September 2005 to February
2006.

Alkalinity
120
Pasir
Kecil
Alkalinity (HCO3) mg/L

100
Air
Mendidih
80 Gelugor

60 Bakar
Arang
40 Petani-
Bus
Petani-
20
Jetty

0
September October November December January February

Month

Figure 3: The Alkalinity at Each Site from September 2005 to February 2006.
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

Ammonia
4
Pasir
Ammonia (NH3-N) mg/L 3.5 Kecil
Air
3
Mendidih
2.5 Gelugor

2
Bakar
1.5 Arang
Petani-
1 Bus
0.5 Petani-
Jetty
0
September October November December January February
Month

Figure 4: The Concentration of Ammonia at Each Site from September 2005 to

February 2006.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

18000
Pasir
16000 Kecil
Total Dissolved Solids mg/L

Air
14000 Mendidih
Gelugor
12000
10000 Bakar
Arang
8000 Petani-
Bus
6000 Petani-
4000 Jetty

2000
0
September October November December January February
Month

Figure 5: Amount of TDS at Every Sampling Site from September 2005 to February
2006.
International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

Suspended Solids (TSS)

180
Pasir
160 Kecil
Air
Suspend solids mg/L
140
Mendidih
120 Gelugor
100
Bakar
80
Arang
60 Petani-
40 Bus
Petani-
20 Jetty
0
September October November December January February
Month

Figure 6: Amount of TSS at Every Sampling Site from September 2005 to February
2006.

Ortho-Phosphate
1
Pasir
0.9 Kecil
Ortho-phosphate (PO4-P)

0.8 Air
0.7 Mendidih
Gelugor
0.6
mg/L

0.5 Bakar
0.4 Arang
0.3 Petani-
0.2 Bus
Petani-
0.1
Jetty
0
September October November December January February
Month

Figure 7: The Concentration of Orthophosphate at Each Site from September 2005 to

February 2006.
 International Conference on Environment 2006 (ICENV 2006)
13-15 November 2006, Penang, Malaysia.

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