Caveat over large-scale groundwater extraction

PETALING JAYA: Large-scale extraction of groundwater will lead to an increase in peat fires during the dry seasons due to a drop in the water table (groundwater level), warned the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia.
Its president S. Piarapakaran said this will result in a huge impact on the environment.
Although Malaysia has vast storage of groundwater, it cannot be extracted by drilling a well because groundwater has its own distribution regime.
"If there is really a need to extract the groundwater on a large scale, then a detailed study need to be conducted as the process is quite complicated," he told theSun.
In any large scale groundwater extraction, he said, dormant natural heavy metals or other chemicals would move faster than its natural rate and this may pose health risks as well as have a great impact on the environment.
On whether extracted groundwater need to undergo any treatment before usage, he said: "Regardless of whatever usage, it is necessary for the extracted groundwater to undergo treatment because the dilution factor is low in the ground or soil, which means the possibility of the groundwater being contaminated is relatively high."
Citing an example, he said if a well is dug close to a septic tank or an agriculture area, there will be direct contamination and since there is no authority conducting checks on groundwater quality, it is hard to tell if the water is safe.
Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit was quoted saying recently that a comprehensive study would be conducted under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) by the Department of Minerals and Geoscience to test groundwater as an alternative water source.
He said the study will emphasise on identifying arsenic in groundwater sources at former tin mining areas as well as at frequently flooded areas, as it may be contaminated and could cause health problems.
Piarapakaran disagreed with the figure of five trillion cu m of available groundwater as reported by a local daily recently, as the study was conducted by the Japanese International Corporation Agency almost 30 years ago.
"At that time, Malaysia had a lot of pristine forest cover but over the years, these forest areas has seen a lot of changes such as development, deforestation, plantation and even logging activities," he said, adding that no recent studies have been done to ascertain how much groundwater currently exists.