General geology and groundwater quality analysis of domestic wells around Kampung Panglima Bayu, Tanah Merah District, Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

The current research project focuses on geological mapping and groundwater quality analysis of domestic wells in and around Kampung Panglima Bayu, in Tanah Merah district, Kelantan. The objective of this research is to produce an updated geological map of the study area at a scale of 1:25000 and to conduct groundwater quality analysis in the research region. Groundwater samples were obtained from 12 domestic wells for the analysis of physicochemical parameters. Temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, and total dissolved solids were measured using a multiparameter and turbidity meter on site. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used to analyse major trace elements such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese, while the titration method was used to analyse bicarbonate and chloride. While spectrophotometer methods were used to analyse fluoride, sulphate, and nitrate. Based on the data analysis of the geology of Kampung Panglima Bayu, three rock units can be found: granite is the most common kind of rock detected in the research region, followed by schist and alluvium. Furthermore, the geomorphology of the study area revealed elevation differences consisting of low land to high hills. The petrographic analysis revealed principle minerals like quartz, alkali feldspar, plagioclase and biotite with the granitic rocks identified as ‘biotite granite porphyry’ due to the high amount of biotite mineral present in the thin section. In addition, the results of our analysis for groundwater quality were compared to World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of Health Malaysia (MoHM) standards values. It was observed that 7 of the 12 wells were contaminated because the pH values were below the normal level. Turbidity was high in wells 4, 5, and 11, and sodium ion levels surpassed the standard allowable limit in well 11.