Horizontal collector well as alternative for conventional raw water intake

Abstract

Water plays an important role in supporting and maintaining human health and sustainable ecosystem development. However, climate change from dry season to rainy season and vice versa are causing stress among water supply agencies and impose pressure to look for an alternative supplementary source. Therefore, this study evaluates water samples from Horizontal Collector Well (underground water) as optional water resources compared to the Conventional Raw Water Intake (surface water) at Sekor river, Pekan Pahang. A number of tests were conducted based on turbidity, iron, manganese, aluminium and pH from January 2016 until December 2016 and results from water samples were compared with Recommended Raw Water Quality Criteria. From samples tested, the turbidity of the underground is seen relatively better compared to surface water, average pH value is 6.8 more acidic than surface water with average pH value of 7.18 and underground water contains higher Iron and Manganese compared to surface water. Therefore, from the results, there is a need to study on effectiveness of using conventional water treatment to treat underground water. Some modifications were done on aerator and changes in the type of chemical used to achieve Drinking Water Quality Standard. Subsequently, the effectiveness of adopting Horizontal Collector Well as a future use in Pahang was investigated and the main focuses were in terms of cost construction, operation (chemical and electrical) and maintenance cost. From the total cost, it was found Horizontal Collector Well is cheaper (RM4,685,857.42) compared to Conventional Raw Water Intake (RM8,720,050.52). As a conclusion, it can be said that the Horizontal Collector Well is a successful alternative as a replacement of conventional raw water intake.