Groundwater - Akademi Sains Malaysia

GROUNDWATER AVAILABILITY 

AND QUALITY IN MALAYSIA 

Ismail C. Mohamad and Mohammed Hatta Abd Karim 

Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia 

(JMG)

CONTENT 

• Occurrences of GW 

• Ways to get them 

• What have we done in Malaysia 

• Availability of GW in Malaysia 

• GW Quality 

• Production of Mineral Water 

• Future Directions 

• Conclusions

•Partially confined by low permeability strata (an aquitard) 

•Fully confined by overlying impermeable strata (an aquiclude)

GROUNDWATER OCCURRENCES 

Groundwater is water that is found underground in cracks and spaces in soil, 

sand and rocks. The area where water fills these spaces is called the saturated 

zone of a geologic formation. The top of this zone is called the water table. The 

water table may be only a meter below the ground’s 

(a) (b) © 

Groundwater 

occurrences in (a) 

sand, (b) rock 

fractures, and (c) 

rock solution 

cavities (limestone)

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

DUG 

WELL

CONSTRUCTION OF HORIZONTAL WELL 

AT JELI BY AKSB

JMG’s hard rock drilling machine

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

• The 

National 

Economic 

Action 

Council 

(1998) in the National Economic Recovery 

Plan had identified groundwater as one 

source 

that 

has great 

potential 

to 

be 

developed.

Opening ceremony by The Honorable Minister at the 

Dengkil groundwater scheme in Selangor 

POLITICAL WILL !!!

Why lack of gw development 

There are several reasons for the lack of extensive 

groundwater development in Malaysia: 

i. the 

failure 

to 

recognise the 

potential of 

the 

groundwater resources 

ii. the misconception that groundwater exploitation 

is not sustainable 

iii. 

iv. 

the lack of full assessment of the resource due to 

budget constrain and few expertise, and 

the lack of strategic plan and action plan for the 

development and management of the resource.

Types of Groundwater Resources

ALLUVIAL AQUIFERS 

- depend on alluvial materials, 

thickness, aquifer parameters 

(porosity), recharge rate, surrounding 

aquifer and precipitation. 

HARD ROCK AQUIFERS 

- depend on lithology, fracture density, 

some rock depends on cavities, some 

depend on porosity, recharge potential and 

thickness.

0 

50% 20% 2% 0% 

30 m 

100 m 

Vertical assessment of 

Aquifers in Malaysia 

300 m 

500 m

Aerial assessment 

Water divide 

RC1 

Recharge area 

well 

RC2 

On spot 

Alluvial aquifer 

River catchment 

IRBM/IWRM 

Hard Rock Aquifer Regime 

‘Mega Watershed’

Needs for assessments 

• Geological details 

• Structural geology analysis 

• Geophysical studies 

• Location of drilling well site 

• Drilling technology used 

• Testing for safe yield 

• Water quality analysis 

• Gw modelling and reserve value 

• Zoning of aquifers and recharge areas 

• Proper usage of gw

Assessment methodology 

• Assessment of aquifer by adhoc studyofdemandedsites 

demanded sites 

• Patchy studies of alluvial aquifers 

• Hard rock aquifers being assess by ‘wild cat’ manner 

• Generally need a proper basin study 

• Need thorough study of aquifers penetrating at different depth 

(shallow alluvial aquifer < 30 m, deep alluvial aquifer > 30 m) 

• Hard rock aquifer should be investigated throughly with the help 

of remote sensing analysis and geophysics. Two types of hard 

rock aquifers should be studied (100 m) 

• Other new techniques including GIS, geostatistics and 

isotope tracer techniques are needed to assess recharge, 

groundwater flow patterns and interaction with surface water 

system

The JMG approaches 

• Explore potential groundwater by basinal 

approach, to get actual reserve and safe 

yield of the basin 

• Explore potential groundwater from the 

hard rock aquifers 

• Explore potential groundwater source from 

requested areas/needs and subsequently 

developed for use

JMG – RMK BUDGET 

RMKe 5 - RM 2.0 million 

RMKe 6 - 

RM 6.7 million 

RMKe 7 – RM 4.8 million 




JMG 

– Drilling machines 5 units - small to medium range 

– Hydrogeologist and assistant – 50 persons 

Private sectors and Universities 

– Drilling machines 10 units – small to medium range 

- Hydrogeologist and assistant – 50 persons

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

Peninsular Malaysia 

• Groundwater development in Peninsular Malaysia started since the early 

1900’s 

in Kelantan. 

60% of the groundwater exploited is for domestic supply 

35% for industrial supply and 

5% for agricultural use. 

• To date about 0.2 

Peninsular Malaysia. 

million m 3 /d of groundwater is being exploited in 

• In Peninsular Malaysia, 4categories 

of potential groundwater resources: 

The most productive aquifers are the alluvium (sand and 

gravel), 

which can yield from fom50 

to 100 m 3 /h/well. 

The most productive aquifer in hard rock is in limestone, which 

can produce up to 50 m 3 /h/well. But most within the developed areas and 

extraction may develop sinkhole. 

Fractured sandstone, their metamorphic equivalent and 

aquifers can yield up to 30 m 3 /h/well. 

volcanic rock 

The least productive type of aquifer is made up of fractured igneous 

rocks, which can give 20 m 3 /h/well.

Sarawak 

• The first recorded abstraction of groundwater by tube wells in Sarawak 

was in 1954 in Sarikei followed by similar schemes in Bintangor and Sri 

Aman. 

• Groundwater is presently the main source of water supply in several 

coastal villages such as Belawai, lgan, Oya, Kabong, Pulau Bruit, Tatau, 

Limbang and several other new schemes under development. 

• Investigation and development of groundwater resources by the JMG 

Sarawak have developed d in the seventies, 13 areas of groundwater well 

fields for reticulated water supplies in the coastal region of Sarawak. A 

large groundwater scheme in Lambir has been developed to augment 

the Miri Water Supply. During the water crisis in 1997, groundwater has 

become the new source of water supply when the surface source from 

Sg. Liku was greatly reduced. 

• 3 categories of aquifers: 

shallow aquifers (sand, gravel and peat), 

deep aquifers in sedimentary basins and 

deep aquifers in fractured hard rocks. 

• To date, about 0.05 million m 3 /d of groundwater is being exploited in 

Sarawak.

Sabah 

• The only form of exploitation has been by coastal villagers who have 

been digging shallow wells for domestic supplies for years and the 

small-scale 

scale tube well abstraction in Sandakan, Kota Belud and Kuala 

Penyu. In Labuan, groundwater is being used conjunctively with 

surface water to supply the water needs on the island. 

• The most productive aquifer so far known is the Sandakan Formation 

(thick-bedded 

sandstone) 

The Belait Formation (at the south-west 

coast and in Labuan) and the 

Crocker Formation which are extensively faulted and fractured form a 

good groundwater potential. 

Quaternary and Recent alluvium which cover the coastal areas gives 

small but sufficient yield to the isolated villages. 

• In the 8th 

and 9th 

Malaysian Plan much work has been done by the 

JMG to explore the hard rock areas. At this moment, about 0.0202 

million m 3 /d of groundwater is being exploited in the Sabah state.

Water Resources in Malaysia 

ays a 

(based from JICA study 1982) 

Water Resources 

Quantity (billion m 3 ) 

Annual rainfall 990 

- Surface runoff 566 

- Evapotranspiration 360 

- Groundwater recharge 64 

Surface artificial storage 25 

Groundwater storage 5000

Alluvial basins 

• Sg Melaka, Langkawi 

• Sg Kerian, Perak 

• Sg Perak (kuala 

kuala) 

• Sg Perak-Sg 

Bernam * 

• Sg Bernam-Sg 

Selangor* 

• Sg Langat 

(kuala), Selangor 

• Sg Muar, Johor* 

• Sg Johor 

• Sg Pahang (Delta) 

• Sg. Bebar, Pahang 

• Sg Rompin, Pahang 

• Sg Terengganu 

• Sg Kelantan(KB) 

• Sg Sarawak, sarawak 

• Sg Sibu, Sarawak 

• Sg Baram, 

Sarawak 

• Sg Kinabatangan, Sabah 

Hard Rock aquifers 

•Limestones [>10 areas] 

•Sedimentary S t rocks [ > 100 areas] 

•Metamorphic rocks [ > 10 areas] 

•Volcanics [ >10 areas] 

•Granites [ >10 areas]

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

GW quality 

• Generally good 

• Fe & Mn values > WHO limit ( 60 % of well) 

• Hg, As, Pb, NO3, high in isolated wells at N. 

Sembilan, Terengganu, Selangor, Melaka 

• Colliform, E coli presence at KB shallow 

unconfined aquifer 

• Saline occur naturally at some west coast of WM 

and some coastal areas of Sarawak

Groundwater quality protection 

and management 

• There are a number of artificial sources of 

potential groundwater contamination such as 

sanitary landfill, septic tank, wastewater, toxic 

chemical disposal site, agricultural chemicals 

and Underground Storage Tank (UST) 

• One critical aspects of preventing groundwater 

pollution is the identification of recharge area 

for the aquifer. In such, protection of the 

recharge area is vital.

• Aeration 

• pH treatment 

• Filtration 

• Carbon filter 

• Zeolite 

• Micro filter 

• Ultra membrane 

• ….UV light 

Treatment

“SPATR” GENERAL LAYOUT 

PRIMARY FILTRATION 

SECONDARY FILTRATION 

Aeration Tank 

Aeration Tower 

Sedimentation Tank 

Storage Tank 

Ultra Membrane 

Filter 

To storage/ 

elevated tank 

Booster Pump 

Activated 

t Zeolite 

Charcoal Filter 

Filter 

Legend: 

Charcoal 

Submersible Pump 

Sand 

Tube Well

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

Production of Mineral Water 

Mineral Water 

Check all aspects related to gw source 

before giving consent to licence 

Monitor regularly on the supply well 

and surrounding areas 

Compare well yield with production

MINERAL WATER INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA 

(data from MOH) 

STATE 

LICENCE SOURCE AREA 

Perlis 

Penang 

Kedah 

Perak 

Selangor 

N/Sem 

Johor 

Pahang 

1 

1 

3 

5 

25 

1 

6 

1 

Kaki bukit 

Ayer Hitam 

Sarawak 2 Matang 

K. Setar, Pendang, Kulim 

Taiping 

Klang, Ulu Selangor. UK, Italy, France 

Lenggong 

Segamat, K.T, B.Pahat, Macap, U.Tiram 

Bentong 

TOTAL 45 Local 17 areas, Overseas 6 areas

Mineral water industry Plant

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

Present GW Utilisation in Malaysia 

(( 

((60 Dom, 35 Ind, 5 Agr))

(2010) (2020) 

GW 3% 20 % 

446 MLD 3,304 MLD 

WATER REQUIREMENT for Malaysia 

= 13,216 MLD = 16,520 MLD 

JICA 1982, Optimum Yield of GW = 6 Bm3/year 

= 16.4 BLD = 16,438 MLD

Merely some indications……, 

to achieve 100 % EXPLORATION COVERAGE 

SHALLOW ALLUVIAL 

WELL SPACING = 1000 M 

MALAYSIA needs 33,000 wells 

DEEP ALLUVIAL AND HARD ROCK 

WELL SPACING = 8000 M 

MALAYSIA needs 5,000 wells 

WILL NEED AT LEAST RM 800 million

CONJUNCTIVE USE

CONTENT 








• Conclusions

CONCLUSIONS 

• Groundwater plays an important role in supplementing the 

domestic, 

industrial 

and agricultural 

water 

needs 

of the 

country 

• Contribution and potential value of groundwater have not yet 

been fully recognised, and not enough efforts have been 

made to promote its proper exploitation, management and 

conservation 

• Issues ranging from misconception, assessment, databank to 

sustainability 

• Review Institutional Arrangement and Legal Framework 

• Strategic Planning have been formulated 

• Proposed Action Plan to be discussed ?????

Thank you

Groundwater - Akademi Sains Malaysia

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