The source of groundwater is the water found in the underground aquifer layer which is formed geologically through rocks, sand and gravel that hold large quantities of water. Thegroundwater intensity is higher than the surface water potential encompassing river water, lake reservoirs and dams where, more than 95 percent of the world's fresh water that can be developed is groundwater.

The countries of Denmark, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand have long developed this water source  as a source of water supply to the population. Denmark for example uses 99 percent of groundwater as a water source, leaving the country less reliant on surface water as a source of raw water.  In Malaysia, groundwater is used as a source of drinking water in states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak. For Kelantan the use of tube wells or called boring wells is very widespread.

Di Peninsular Malaysia, the rainwater that falls will flow into the river (43 per cent) while some will return to the air through the evaporation process (51 per cent) and the b aki will infiltrate the soil and become groundwater (6 per cent). The water that infiltrates the soil will be the groundwater storage with the average downwater flow rate of tanah is 0.2 – 20 m/day proving air fresh is more present in the soil than on the surface, afracture again in the prolonged drought where the water flowing in the river is groundwater that appears on the surface of the soil through the springs.

Thus, the potential of groundwater resources should be developed as an alternative source that can be explored and exploited to meet threats to surface water sources. What's more, the frequency of unscheduled water outages, consumers are forced to bear the brunt of the burden and misery when they lose their water supply for a few days. Thus, increasing the water reserves by looking for other sources such as groundwater is one of the best options to ensure the water source from any crisis other than not relying too much on the source of water from the river.

However, theuse of groundwater is still minimal. The main factor is, the country has a river flowing all year round which is the main source of supply, besides the management of obtaining water from the river is easier.  In fact, Malaysia has a high ground water source and should be an alternative to accommodate the needs of water supply, especially in the case of pollution to the surface water supply. However, the groundwater consumption in Malaysia is less than three percent compared to other countries, whereas the country has a capacity of 5,000 billion cubic meters of groundwater with a regeneration capacity of 64 billion cubic meters per year. This capacity is very large and of course capable of being an alternative source of the country's water supply. Theabundance of groundwater resources can be harnessed in an effort to address the problem of clean water supply especially during droughts, floods or unexpected river pollution.

Although the development of groundwater requires quite high costs, on a long-term basis it has many benefits. Therefore, the use of groundwater resources needs to be increased to support the need forclean water supply as it is highly valued and sukar to be contaminated due to the existence of natural filters and deep in the earth besides being rich in mineral materials so it can continue to be used as drinking water In addition, the sludge resulting from groundwater treatment is much lower due to the clarity of the water  The soil causes treatment for groundwater is at a minimal rate a. According to Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd, in Kelantan the operating cost of surface water is 29.3 sen/m3 while the operating cost of earth water is 21.8 sen/m3). The fact is that the advantages of using groundwater are indeed undeniable. Therefore, sustainable management of the catchment area is very important to increase the surface water source but also the groundwater source.

Date of Input: 07/10/2022 | Updated: 07/10/2022 | nooryati