Topic

The Impact Of Land Use At UTHM To The Natural Environment

Location

Lake in front of ORICC

LITERATURE REVIEW
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LITERATURE REVIEW

POLLUTION

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise,heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution can be either foreign substances / energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or non-point source pollution

WATER POLLUTION

Water is a good solvent. Therefore it is rarely found, except in chemical laboratory, free from impurities. Even rain water has dissolved gases in it. Our perception of pollution of water is dependent on the situation. What we perceived as pollution of water of a mountain spring is different from that of water of an estuary. This is because both the waters has different designated uses. While mountain spring water is expected to be directly potable, estuary water has different uses. For example fishery and industrial cooling. Spring water may contain harmless minerals but should be almost totally free from pathogenic bacteria. Their presence in an estuary ( unless in heavy doses ) is not of serious concern. The practical and rational definition of water pollution can thus be the following :

The presence of deleterious matter in such quantities to make the water unsuitable for it designated use .

Lakes often contain high pollution levels relative to the surrounding landscapes and environment. Rivers and streams drain pollutants from the landscape where they concentrate in lakes and other water bodies. Aquatic species such as fish can be extremely high in contaminants as some pollutants dont readily dissolve and dilute in water and are instead taken up into organisms. Some species of aquatic organisms are particularly sensitive to pollution; they are used as indicators of pollution and are called bio-indicators.

Because lakes drain a large surrounding landscape, they reflect the processes and actions that operate around them. When chemicals are spilled, they can drain into nearby streams and be transported downstream into lakes. Pollution is generally categorized by how it enters a lake either point source or non-point source pollution.

Point Source Pollution :

Contaminants that enter a water body that can be traced back to a specific source, location, and offender. Point source pollution is easier to manage compared to non-point source pollution.

Non-Point Source Pollution :

Contaminants that enter a water body that cannot be traced back to a specific source, location, and offender. Rather, this pollution comes from many diffuse sources and often enters in small amounts but can become concentrated in lakes and other freshwater resources.

WATER POLLUTANT

Pollutant

Sources

Effects

Petroleum Products Oil and chemicals derived from oil are used for fuel, lubrication, plastics manufacturing, and many other purposes.

These petroleum products get into water mainly by means of accidental spills from ships, tanker trucks, pipelines, and leaky underground storage tanks.

Many petroleum products are poisonous if ingested by animals, and spilled oil damages the feathers of birds and the fur of animals, often causing death. IN addition, spilled oil may be contaminated with other harmful substances, such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

Some of these chemicals are biodegradable and quickly decay into harmless or less harmful forms, while others are nonbiodegradable and remain dangerous for a Pesticides and Herbicides Chemicals used to kill unwanted animals and plants, for instance on farms or in suburban yards. These chemicals may be collected by rainwater runoff and carried into streams, especially if these substances are used in excess. long time. When animals consume plants that have been treated with certain nonbiodegradable chemicals, such as chlordane and DDT, these chemicals are absorbed into the tissues or organs of the animals. When other animals feed on these contaminated animals, the chemicals are passed up the food chain. The concentration of the pollutant increases through biomagnification, so that animals at the top of the food chains, may suffer cancers, reproductive problems, and death. Many drinking water supplies are contaminated

with pesticides from widespread agricultural use.

Like pesticides, heavy metals become more These metals get into water from many sources, Heavy Metals such as copper, lead, mercury, and selenium. including industries, automobile exhaust, mines, and even natural soil. Lead can get into water from lead pipes and solder in older water systems. concentrated as animals feed on plants and are consumed by other animals. When they reach high levels in the body, heavy metals can be immediately poisonous, or can result in long-term problems similar to those caused by pesticides and herbicides. For example, cadmium in fertilizer derived from sewage sludge can be absorbed by crops. If these crops are eaten by humans in sufficient amounts, the metal can cause liver and kidney damage.

River and lake pollution can be toxic Hazardous Waste Chemical wastes that are either toxic (poisonous), reactive (capable of producing explosive or toxic gases), corrosive (capable of corroding steel), or ignitable (flammable). These chemical wastes can pollute water supplies if they are stored or treated improperly. PCBs, a class of chemicals once widely used in electrical equipment such as transformers, can get into the environment through oil spills and can reach toxic levels as organisms eat one another. enough to kill animal and plant life immediately, or it can injure slowly. For example, fluoride concentrates in teeth and bone, and too much fluoride in water may cause dental and bone problems. Like pesticides and heavy metals, hazardous wastes become more concentrated as animals feed on plants and are consumed in turn by other animals. When they reach high levels in the body, hazardous wastes can be immediately poisonous, or can result in long-term problems similar to those caused by pesticides and herbicides and heavy metals.

Fertilizers and other nutrients used to promote plant growth on farms and in gardens may find Excess organic matter Plants and algae that grow in excess due to fertilizer and other nutrients from farm and garden runoff. their way into water. At first, these nutrients encourage the growth of plants and algae in water. However, when the plant matter and algae die and settle underwater, microorganisms decompose them. The process of decomposition, these microorganisms consume oxygen that is dissolved in the water. Oxygen levels in the water may drop to such dangerously low levels that oxygendependent animals in the water, such as fish, die. This process of depleting oxygen to deadly levels is called eutrophication. The Mississippi River carries an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year. The resulting dead zone in the Gulf each summer is about the size of Massachusetts.

Sediment Soil particles carried to a streambed, lake, or ocean that can be a pollutant if it is present in large enough amounts.

Soil erosion which can be produced by the removal of trees near waterways, or that is carried by rainwater and floodwater from croplands, strip mines, and roads.

Sedimentation can damage a stream or lake by introducing too much nutrient matters that leads to eutrophication. Sedimentation can also cover streambed gravel in which many fish, such as salmon and trout, lay their eggs.

Infectious Organisms Waterborne diseases occur

Human migration has disseminated infectious disease and brought people into contact with

A study by CDC estimated that about 900,000 people get sick annually in the United States because of organisms in their drinking water, causing around 900 deaths.

when parasites or other diseasecausing microorganisms are transmitted through contaminated water, especially when conducted by animal and human feces. These diseases include typhoid, intestinal parasites, and most of the diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

new pathogens; environmental change has expanded the conditions for native microorganisms to emerge as significant human pathogens; modern techniques in animal conservation, as well as some of the more traditional methods of livestock farming, create a risk from new zoonotic diseases (an infectious disease which normally circulates in an animal host but that can be contracted by humans); sewage pollution is also a major contributor.

Many disease-causing organisms that are present in small numbers in most natural waters are considered pollutants when found in drinking water. Parasites can cause illness, especially in people who are very old or very young, and in people who are already suffering from other diseases and occasionally are found in urban water supplies.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of our project are :

1. To identify the land use on the specific area. 2. To observe and discuss on the impact of the land use. 3. To identify the biological indicator.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

We were given a tasked titled The Impact of Land Use at UTHM to the Natural Environment Places as our semester 1 nature conservation project. The project contribute 20% of total carried out marks for our total marks. The area that has been chosen by our team to conduct the research is the natural lake and around the land near Office for Research, Innovation, Commercialization and Consultancy Management (ORICC).The main purpose of conducting the project is to investigate the effect of land use at UTHM (ORICC) to the natural environment places. Besides that, we also would like to do some research regarding indicators found inside or near the lake including the land which can tell us useful information for the assessment of the impact of land use to the natural places. The indicator also will provide good example on determining the condition of the aquatic life and the continuity of the organism of the ecosystem to the water quality value, besides of being use as training ground for the UTHM rowing team club and situated near massive structure such as the ORICC building, Tun Dr Ismail (TDI) Residential College and the wood factory.

BACKGROUND

A lake is a body of relatively still water of considerable size, localized in a basin that is surrounded by land apart from a river, stream, or other form of moving water that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. However most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams. Natural lakes are generally found in
mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endothecia basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them. Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for industrial or agricultural use, for hydro-electric power generation or domestic water supply, or for aesthetic or recreational purposes.

As for project, ORICC lake is been chosen. The land has approximate area of 2 acres and receive annual rainfall of 162mm. ORICC has both dry soil as a base for its structure and muddy soil and wet land near the natural lake.

The natural lake is formed due to the naturally low ground which retain rain water and water from two water sources that are flowing through the canal from the man-made drain behind the Tun Dr. Ismail (TDI) Residential College and from natural canal located in between ORICC and TDI Residential College, which has been embank by putting gabion wall to avoid more serious corrosion of land and also, support the land and giving a stiff bass for the land. The lake shows many natural indicators such as Moses, green algae, and lily pad which indicates that the lake is full with marine aquatics and organism and also indicate that the surround land is fertile and suitable for planting a tree.

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OBSERVATION ON SITE

1. TYPES OF LANDUSE

FACTORY

BUILDING

TUN FATIMAH RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE 11

TUN DR. ISMAIL RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE

OFFICE FOR RESEARCH, INNOVATION, COMMERCIALIZATION & CONSULTANCY MANAGEMENT ( ORICC )

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PLANTING PALM TREES

ACTIVITY AT THE LAKE

ROWING ACTIVITY EVERY WEEK

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2. LAKE COLOUR

Colour changes in lake give different meaning and its corresponding to the water quality. There are three main categories of lake color which is blue water lakes, green water lakes and brown water lakes. Just from the colour of lake, we can get many information about the water body including nutrient load, algal growth. It can even help us to indicate water quality and also about the surrounding landscape. Our project lake is green in colour.

Green water lakes usually contain high concentrations of chlorophyll-containing algae which can give water a green color. With sensors such as the YSI chlorophyll probe, we can measure the concentration of chlorophyll. If compared to other types of lakes, green lakes are often exposed the eutrophication and typically contain more harmful algal blooms. From our observation, we can see that ORICC lake is under category of green water lakes. The water from ORICC lake is slightly green in color. Buildings around ORICC lake such as Kolej TDI have underground septic system around the area. One of impact of those underground septic system is it might have failure or leakage of sewage. Those sewage will absorbed by the soil around it and drained into the lake. This causes the green color water of lakes. The poor water quality conditions can depress dissolved oxygen levels in and these conditions can kill fish and aquatic life in the lake where oxygen drops too low for them to survive. This is probably why we could hardly find fish in the lake.

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3. BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR

LOTUS FLOWER

BIRD

DRAGONFLIES 15

FISH

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DISCUSSION

Based on what have we been discussed, there are several ways to overcome the polluted problems. A good drainage system is crucial in maintaining a good excretion of unwanted sewage in one building system and must be effusion in draining of water (sewage) out to the specific place without flowing to other places (unwanted places) or over flow out of drain and retain at one place especially during rain seasons.

Instead of building a new one, we can also upgrading our drain channel for future because the man-made drain which channel the waste from a building are connected to the natural canal that has been a water sources of the lake. The situation where untreated sewage flows into the lake, it will turn the lake to be high in nutrient. In addition to that, the natural canal also become the contributor of the existence of nutrient in water by moving water as runoff across the surface of the soil carries nutrients. Soil particles eroded by surface water runoff carry many nutrients. Erosion is one of the major mechanisms contributing phosphorus to streams and lakes. Runoff water passing over the soil surface and picks up dissolved nutrients. Runoff soon after manure and other fertilizer applications can carry high concentrations of dissolved nutrients. A high nutrient water can affect fish and other aquatic life, fish can die off and only certain animals who can adapt to the environment changed will remain alive.

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Next, it also encourage the growth of certain algae and mosses that can affect quality and clarity of water and be an indicator for unhealthy water. The human factor also contribute in the usage of land near ORICC and the impacts towards environment. For example, the lake officially become the home ground for UTHM Rowing Club, where the training and practice takes place .UTHM students should be proud of our own rowing club, which continues to rise more and more each day by winning many competition worldwide. However, rowing activity also can give an impacts towards environment. For example, the hauling and paddling at unsuitable or shallow depth can kill marine plant and other life, and eventually effects the marine ecosystem. Besides that, this matter also will increased the maintenance cost of the lake and also to the rowing gear

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CONCLUSION

The development of more buildings and infrastructure in land near and around ORICC should be controlled and be supervised by authorities and to be kept in their attention and see the influence of the impacts of land use to the environmental places. This is important, because the condition of the land is still in moderate due to land use for example, the releasing of hazardous gases to the atmosphere and leftovers residue by the nearby wood factory to the drain that eventually flows into the lake, which can interrupt the marine ecological system in the long period of time. The enforcement of law regarding nature pollution has been enshrined, under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 need to be enhanced and should be implemented in an efficient and decisive. A sensitive act on conserving has to be decisively done especially on the wetland and area that are rich with natural organism. This act is crucial in maintaining the sustainability of physical environment ecosystem in UTHM.

In total, the usage of land and surround area in ORICC does not show an obvious influential towards the impacts on environment places.

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REFERENCE

1. R.C Das, D.K. Behera. (2008). Environmental Science : Principle and Practice, Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited. 2. Cunningham. (2006). Principle of Environmental Science : Inquiry and Application. McGraw-Hill Companies. 3. Mahler, B.J., Van Metre, P.C., & Callender, E. (2006). Trends in Metals in Urban and Reference Lake Sediments Across the United States, 1970-2001 Environmental Toxicolgy and Chemistry, 25 (7), 1698-1709. 4. Federal Officials Unveil Blueprint for Great Lakes. (2010, February 21) Retrieved February 27, 2010, from The New York Times 5. Edward A. Keller, Daniel B Botkin. (2008). Essential Environmental Science. Wiley Plus.

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