Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 27;18(11):5733.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115733.

Spatial Analysis of Groundwater Hydrochemistry through Integrated Multivariate Analysis: A Case Study in the Urbanized Langat Basin, Malaysia

Nur Fatihah Mohamad Zainol  1 , Azim Haziq Zainuddin  2 , Ley Juen Looi  1 , Ahmad Zaharin Aris  2 , Noorain Mohd Isa  1 , Anuar Sefie  3 , Ku Mohd Kalkausar Ku Yusof  4
Affiliations

Spatial Analysis of Groundwater Hydrochemistry through Integrated Multivariate Analysis: A Case Study in the Urbanized Langat Basin, Malaysia

Nur Fatihah Mohamad Zainol et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and industrial development in the Langat Basin has disturbed the groundwater quality. The populations' reliance on groundwater sources may induce possible risks to human health such as cancer and endocrine dysfunction. This study aims to determine the groundwater quality of an urbanized basin through 24 studied hydrochemical parameters from 45 groundwater samples obtained from 15 different sampling stations by employing integrated multivariate analysis. The abundance of the major ions was in the following order: bicarbonate (HCO3-) > chloride (Cl-) > sodium (Na+) > sulphate (SO42-) > calcium (Ca2+) > potassium (K+) > magnesium (Mg2+). Heavy metal dominance was in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > As > Hg > Pb > Ni > Cu > Cd > Se > Sr. Classification of the groundwater facies indicated that the studied groundwater belongs to the Na-Cl with saline water type and Na-HCO3 with mix water type characteristics. The saline water type characteristics are derived from agricultural activities, while the mixed water types occur from water-rock interaction. Multivariate analysis performance suggests that industrial, agricultural, and weathering activities have contributed to groundwater contamination. The study will help in the understanding of the groundwater quality issue and serve as a reference for other basins with similar characteristics.

Keywords: groundwater assessment; groundwater quality; heavy metals; major ions; multivariate statistical analysis; weathering.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The land use map of the Langat basin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Piper trilinear diagram showing hydrogeochemical facies. Na-HCO3 water type (Circle I) and Na-Cl water type (circle II).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Gibbs diagram showing the mechanism governing groundwater chemistry.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scree plot for PCA.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Rotated component of PCA.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Classification of the sampling stations based on HCA outputs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Giordano M. Global Groundwater? Issues and Solutions. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 2009;34:153–178. doi: 10.1146/annurev.environ.030308.100251. - DOI
    1. Zainuddin A.H., Wee S.Y., Aris A.Z. Occurrence and potential risk of organophosphorus pesticides in urbanised Linggi River, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Environ. Geochem. Health. 2020:1–13. doi: 10.1007/s10653-020-00604-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Usman U.N., Toriman M.E., Juahir H. Assessment of Groundwater Quality Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques in Terengganu. Sci. Technol. 2015 doi: 10.5923/j.scit.20140403.02. - DOI
    1. Gude V.G. Desalination of deep groundwater aquifers for freshwater supplies–Challenges and strategies. Groundw. Sustain. Dev. 2018;6:87–92. doi: 10.1016/j.gsd.2017.11.002. - DOI
    1. Sayyed J.A., Bhosle A.B. Analysis of Chloride, Sodium and Potassium in Groundwater Samples of Nanded City in Mahabharata, India. Eur. J. Exp. Bio. 2011;1:74–82.

Publication types

Substances