UPPER STREAM, SARAWAK

ABSTRACT: Batang Lassa is among the lowland protected mangrove areas which contribute significantly to flora and fauna ecology, aquatic habitat, provision and preservation of water quality. Traditionally, measurement of water quality and turbidity for monitoring and managing river network were carried out by collecting water parameters from ground sampling. This method is relatively costly and time-consuming and not practical for extensively large areas. However, utilising Remote Sensing technology, which is widely used in detecting water turbidity, enable the process to be carried out in a much shorter duration of time and in a more cost-effective manner. The main objective of this study is to map and classify water turbidity using spectral reflectance of SPOT 5 imagery based on Water Quality Standard issued by the Department of Environment, Malaysia (DOE). This study demonstrates that turbidity concentration levels can be quantified using band 3 [NIR] (0.79- 0.89 µm), the best single band to represent water turbidity differences. The result of this study shows that SPOT 5 imagery can be utilised for monitoring water quality and water turbidity classification in lowland protected mangrove areas