Influence of landuse on water quality: a study on the Linggi River Basin, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Negri Sembilan lies adjacent to a major development corridor in Peninsular Malaysia, which is the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya-Kuala Lumpur International Airport corridor. Development has spilled into Negri Sembilan byway of the towns of Nilai and the state capital, Seremban. The Linggi River basin in which these and other smaller towns are located habours myriad human activities. It is also important due to the fact that raw water for the water supply system of that portion of Negri Sembailan is extracted midway through the flow of the main river, the Sungai Linggi. The basin is populated such a manner that major towns, including Seremban, are located upstream of the extraction point. Due to the importance of the raw water to the supply system, knowledge on its quality isusefuLAs water quality is affected by human activities, this study examined water quality in relation to landuse. The basin was divided into sub-basins and landuse of each was determined. Water quality parameters at each sub-basin were investigated . Using the readings obtained, Water Quality Index (WQI) was determined for each sub-basin using the procedure of the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. It was determined that of the 20 sub-basins, two were found to be clean, four polluted, and the rest slightly polluted. Keyword : Landuse, Water Quality, Linggi River Basi