INTRODUCTION

According to the definition of groundwater contamination, undesired items including

chemicals, oil, road salt, and gasoline that enter the groundwater as a result of human activity
are added to it. Groundwater can get contaminated with materials that migrate through the
soil from the soil surface. Groundwater contamination is a widespread issue that adversely
affects both ecological services and human health. Studies discussed in this special issue
concentrate on groundwater contamination with geogenic and anthropogenic origins spread
across a large geographic area. (Li et al.
2021)
Numerous reports of nitrate contamination in groundwater have come from different parts of
the world. Major cations like Ca2+ and Mg2+ as well as anions and oxyanions like F, SO42,
and Cl are other typical inorganic pollutants found in groundwater. Groundwater may also
have higher levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), which measure the total amount of
inorganic and organic ligands in water (Adimalla and Wu 2019). Although these
contaminants typically have a natural origin, human activity can also cause groundwater
contamination. The dissolution of natural mineral deposits in the Earth's crust is the primary
cause of the majority of contaminants in groundwater being of geogenic origin (Pandey et al.
2016).

The primary supply of fresh water for the entire world's population, groundwater is used in
the home, agricultural, and industrial settings. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking
water for about one-third of the world's population (International Association of
Hydrogeologists 2020). Threats to human health, ecological services, and sustained
socioeconomic growth come from contaminants such as hazardous metals, hydrocarbons,
traces of organic pollutants, pesticides, nanoparticles, and microplastics (Li and Wu 2019).
For the world's population, groundwater serves as an important source of freshwater for
domestic, agricultural and industrial needs that will be a serious threat to
groundwater.
BACKGROUND

From housing and residential areas, the wastewater produced when doing household chores
such as washing clothes, bathing, preparing foods, doing dishes or even cleaning the house
will drain outside to the ground. The poor sewage system also contributes to the
contamination of groundwater. A septic system that is not properly designed, situated, built,
or maintained can leak bacteria, viruses, household chemicals, and other toxins into the
groundwater, causing major problems as it will contaminate the groundwater. Once the
wastewater contaminated the groundwater, the water would be unsafe to be used.
Contaminants such as nitrates, oils, bacteria, chemicals, detergents, and viruses are released
into underground water by poorly built and leaking septic systems.
Chemicals have become important substances for human development as manufacturing
industries have advanced technologically. Chemicals are used to control agricultural pests,
which is one of their most important applications. Although the use of chemicals increases
agricultural output, it has a negative impact on the environment and human health. These
wastes which are disposed of into water or land, with or without proper safeguards will cause
serious health impacts through surface and groundwater, land and air pollution, which pose
hazards to local people living around the disposal sites (World Bank, 1992). Agricultural
contaminants can degrade the quality of both surface and groundwater. Pesticides, fertilisers,
animal waste, and underground storage tanks are some examples of contamination sources on
agriculture. Fertilisers and pesticides do not remain stationary on the landscape where they
are applied; instead, runoff and infiltration carry these contaminants into nearby streams,
rivers, and groundwater. Furthermore, when land is converted to agricultural use, it is
modified in order to optimise agricultural production. These changes frequently have
unintended environmental consequences for receiving waters and their ecosystems, such as
changes in water quality and quantity.

Industrialization has led to economic affluence, increased urbanisation, increased pressure on

fundamental life support systems, and brought environmental impacts closer to the acceptable
threshold. The process of industrial development currently gives careful consideration to
environmental sustainability because of the quick industrialization and the relatively small
land mass. It is crucial to evaluate the concentration and relevance of heavy metals in the soil
surface of industrial areas as well as their effects on soil since they constitute a significant
environmental problem (Li, X. and Huang, 2007). Factorial analysis may be used to easily
identify tracers of anthropogenic pollution that come from storage battery plant pollution
since heavy metals including Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Ni are characteristic components of sources
of anthropogenic activity. Environmental pollutants from industrial activities are recognised
to primarily affect groundwater and soil. The production of non-point pollution is increased
by this action. Industrial development-related activities expanded quickly and are currently
expanding. The largest industry after high-tech products like consumer electronics is
industrial production, which is carried out in factories and covers everything from the
manufacturing of industrial and engineering equipment, furniture, textiles and fabrics,
building materials, and chemicals (Ahmad Fariz Mohamed and Jamaluddin Jahi 2000). In
addition, leachate from municipal landfills, discharge of contaminated rainwater into mining
pits, and industrial effluents all have an impact on groundwater quality.

EFFECTS

Since groundwater is an important source of fresh water to society, the contamination of it

would lead to a lower drinking water quality, lack of clean water supply, possible health risks
and an increased number of people getting diseases. The contamination of groundwater
would affect the drinking water supplies for the society negatively. This would result in
people needing to find other drinking water from other resources.
Contaminated groundwater also would affect our health and increase health issues among the
consumers. People are exposed to health risks that can be avoided when water and sanitation
services are absent, subpar, or improperly managed. Some of the diseases that can be
acquired from drinking contaminated water are cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A,
typhoid and polio.

The quality of soil and forests can also be significantly impacted by groundwater pollution.
Soil pollution and a decline in soil quality can be brought on by contaminated groundwater.
For instance, one of the primary causes driving soil salinization in many agricultural areas is
high groundwater salinity (Wu et al. 2014). The root zone may get contaminated with
dissolved salts and other pollutants, including hazardous metals, which can stunt plant
growth. Surface water quality can deteriorate as a result of groundwater contaminants being
transferred through surface water-groundwater interactions (Teng et al. 2018).

Many of the organic contaminants that have been found in drinking water are thought to be
human carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. While some organic contaminants are persistent,
others are biodegradable. The main sources of the biodegradable organic contaminants are
domestic sewage and industrial wastewater. Many of these organic compounds can be
converted by microorganisms into stable inorganic compounds and are produced naturally
from carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and oils. They can lower the dissolved oxygen levels in
groundwater but do not directly harm living things.The majority of persistent organic
contaminants are compounds used in agriculture, industrial processes, and human health
protection (Lapworth et al. 2015). Because these compounds degrade slowly or not at all,
they may endanger the quality of groundwater for drinking purposes indefinitely (Schulze et
al. 2019).

STATUS POLLUTION SCENARIO

The Sarawak River is a crucial supply of water for the inhabitants of Kuching City and the
districts close by. The Sarawak River and its major tributaries are susceptible to possible
pollution from the discharge of leachate and other pollutants, similar to many metropolitan
rivers elsewhere. Using the QUAL2K modelling system, key water quality metrics were
chosen as indicators to evaluate the effects of leachate discharges and other pertinent
contaminants(Naik and Manjapp, 2010). Total suspended solids (TSS), DO, BOD, NH3-N,
and other environmental variables were assessed. According to the modelling results, the
Sarawak River's water quality won't be noticeably worsened by the release of leachate and
other pollutants while it is operating normally. Remove the untreated leachate in the event of
an unwelcome leak. Water quality parameter concentrations will drop to Classes III-
V(Hanson Dalun, Mohammad Omar Abdullah. 2021). This model also demonstrates three
metrics, specifically BOD concentration, which have increased by 270%, 370%, and 510% in
three separate places and have a significant negative impact on the basic water
quality(Hanson Dalun, Mohammad Omar Abdullah. 2021). Concentrations of NH3-N rose
by 390%, 456%, and 583%. Additionally, the TSS concentration rose by 275, 367%, and
385%(Hanson Dalun, Mohammad Omar Abdullah. 2021).
SOLUTIONS/ STRATEGIES

All problems can be solved in their own way, whether it is high or low cost and time
consuming. This matter will not be resolved without the cooperation of all parties.

There are several strategies that can be taken to deal with this issue. Among the things that
can be done to prevent domestic waste water from contaminating the groundwater is to repair
or upgrade the septic system in residential areas. For example, a concrete septic tank would
be more ideal than a plastic tank. This is because they are more waterproof and heavy duty.
This can prevent any leakage from occurring and the groundwater will not be contaminated
by domestic waste water. In addition, the use of concrete septic tanks is much more efficient
because of the high number of the residents who live in residential areas. Concrete septic
tanks can hold larger amounts of water and prevent waste water from leaking underground.
This system needs to be upgraded to ensure that waste water does not leak into the
groundwater and pollute the groundwater. Septic systems need to be well maintained from
time to time. This is to prevent the system from being damaged and unable to function
efficiently and to avoid any leakage to the ground water.

In order to prevent this problem from continuing, the government can enforce stricter
groundwater pollution regulations to provide information on the regulations set although the
Environmental Quality Act of 1974 has been in force since 1975, it does not contain any
specific regulations governing the pollution of groundwater and soil. 1984 saw Malaysians
Hazardous waste management regulations prepared by the Department of Environment. In
1989, this regulation, which outlines specifications for storage, transportation, treatment, and
disposal. These include the Environmental Quality Regulations 1989, Regulation 2 of P.U.
(A) 294 Environmental Quality 2005, Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste Treatment
and Disposal Facilities Regulations 1989), and Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste
Treatment and Disposal Facilities Regulations 1989). Despite this, the Environmental Quality
Act 1974 treatment and disposal regulations maintain the use of land as a resource for
managing waste or hazardous materials.

Generally speaking, the phrase "pump-and-treat" refers to pumping groundwater to the

surface and surface treatment, frequently with discharge of treated water to a surface source,
such as a river or through spreading over surface soil(Michael Hitzelberger, 2022). This can
be a very expensive strategy because both polluted and uncontaminated water may be
introduced into an extraction well for surface treatment and disposal. However, the system
can be created so that only polluted water needs to be treated, which significantly lowers the
cost and the resource loss. This is possible if treated water is reinjected into the aquifer in a
well-planned manner. Chemical or biological treatment can be carried out ex situ on the
surface or in the aquifer itself. Although all of these methods could be referred to as "pump-
and-treat," it may be advisable to avoid using this all-encompassing word because each
method is rather unique. It may be better to use the term "pump-and-treat" to describe surface
treatment and discharge procedures only, and to refer to other remediation plans using more
precise terms such as biological treatment, chemical treatment, in situ vapour extraction, or
hydraulic control. Most people utilise pumping in some capacity, but usually for hydraulic
control.

To accomplish a single goal or a set of related goals, various tactics might be used. For
instance, physical barriers can be built to block the passage of upwelling groundwater
through sources of contamination or hydraulic controls can be utilised to do the same
(Mitchell and van Court, 1997). Both strategies can accomplish these goals if they are
properly planned, built, and maintained. The capital and operating expenses of various
techniques vary. For instance, building a physical barrier to restrict resources will have far
greater capital costs than using hydraulic containment, but maintenance costs will be much
cheaper. Physical barriers, which require little maintenance after initial installation, are
frequently referred to as "passive" approaches, whereas hydraulic barriers, which need
constant pumping, can be referred to as "active" approaches. Government entities that rehab
properties frequently prefer a high capital, low maintenance approach, but industry frequently
selects the opposite because the capital may be used for other projects.

For agriculture, the farmers should adopt nutrient management techniques. By using the
proper amount, timing, method, and placement when applying nutrients like fertiliser and
manure, farmers can improve their nutrient management practices. Furthermore, by using
conservation drainage practices, a crucial technique for controlling water movement on and
through many soils is subsurface tile drainage. Strategies are required to lower nutrient loads
while maintaining adequate drainage for crop production because drainage water can carry
soluble forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in crop-producing quantities. Conservation
drainage refers to techniques like changing the way drainage systems are designed and
operated, woodchip bioreactors, saturated buffers, and drainage ditch system modifications.
Last but not least, planting field buffers can reduce groundwater contamination. Farmers can
plant shrubs, grasses, and trees around the perimeter of their fields. This is especially crucial
for fields that border bodies of water. By absorbing or filtering out nutrients before they reach
a water body, planted buffers can aid in preventing nutrient loss from fields.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, groundwater pollution problems can be solved by repairing septic systems,
enforcing laws, pumping and treating systems, building physical barriers and nutrient
management techniques. All parties should work together to maintain good water resources
to maintain the health and prosperity of life on earth. With this, the supply of clean water can
be produced and human health can be guaranteed from heavy metals in plants or others.