Water Quality Assessment of Tributaries of Batang Baleh in Sarawak Using Cluster Analysis

Assessment of river water quality is essential as it provides the knowledge required to make informed decisions. Therefore, water quality was determined at 15 tributary stations located along the Batang Baleh, Sarawak. Results of the study indicate that all tributaries were well-aerated (≈ 7.7 mg/L) with pH (≈ 7.3) and conductivity (≈ 37.3 μS/cm) values falling within acceptable ranges. However, there were tributaries that showed very high turbidity (> 1000 NTU) and suspended solids (> 800 mg/L) which were contributed by the soil erosion from logging activities in the watershed. Tributary stations associated with logging activities also showed significantly higher total phosphorus and organic nitrogen. Cluster analysis demonstrated that water quality at tributary stations along the Batang Baleh exhibited a longitudinal variation from upstream to downstream regions, particularly, dissolved oxygen, five-day biochemical oxygen demand, and nitrite-nitrate nitrogen, which were found higher in upstream region and steadily decreased towards the downstream region. Two stations located at Sg. Serani and Sg. Melatai were distinct from the other stations with the highest concentrations of turbidity, total suspended solids, organic nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce the pollutants in the tributaries of Batang Baleh for the health of the sensitive aquatic organisms.