Land suitability assessment (LSA) is a valuable tool for land use planning in major countries of ... more Land suitability assessment (LSA) is a valuable tool for land use planning in major countries of the world as well as in Malaysia. However, previous LSA studies have been conducted with the use of biophysical and ecological datasets to the neglect of equally important socio–economic variables. Therefore, this research is conducted at the sub national level to estimate suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia by application of socio-economic variables in conjunction with widely employed biophysical and ecological variables. The objective of this study is to provide an up–to date, GIS based agricultural land suitability assessment (ALSA) for determining suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia. Biophysical, ecological and socio-economic factors assumed to influence agricultural land use were assembled and the weights of their respective contributions to land suitability for agricultural uses were assessed using analytic hierarchical process. The result of this study found Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam districts of Selangor as the most suitable areas for cultivating paddy, oil palm and coconut whereas the Klang and Petaling are more suitable for growing rubber. Since Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam are generally suitable for growing wider variety of crops, the study foresaw potential environmental degradation of these locations from agricultural intensification. While this study could also be useful in assessing the potential agricultural yields and potential environmental degradation in the study area, it could also helps to estimate the potential conversion of agricultural land to non–agricultural uses.
In this paper, numerous studies on groundwater in
Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluati... more In this paper, numerous studies on groundwater in Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluating past trends and the current status for discerning the sustainability of the water resources in the country. It was found that most of the previous groundwater studies (44%) focused on the islands and mostly concentrated on qualitative assessment with more emphasis being placed on seawater intrusion studies. This was then followed by inland-based studies, with Selangor state leading the studies which reflected the current water challenges facing the state. From a methodological perspective, geophysics, graphical methods, and statistical analysis are the dominant techniques (38, 25, and 25 %) respectively. The geophysical methods especially the 2D resistivity method cut across many subjects such as seawater intrusion studies, quantitative assessment, and hydraulic parameters estimation. The statistical techniques used include multivariate statistical analysis techniques and ANOVA among others, most of which are quality related studies using major ions, in situ parameters, and heavy metals. Conversely, numerical techniques like MODFLOW were somewhat less admired which is likely due to their complexity in nature and high data demand. This work will facilitate researchers in identifying the specific areas which need improvement and focus, while, at the same time, provide policymakers and managers with an executive summary and knowledge of the current situation in groundwater studies and where more work needs to be done for sustainable development.
Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, ... more Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, weathering and seawater intrusion, among others, which interact with each other in a very complex way. In this work, multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the factors controlling the groundwater chemistry of Kapas Island (Malaysia). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 17 hydrochemical parameters from 108 groundwater samples obtained from 18 sampling sites. PCA extracted four PCs, namely seawater intrusion, redox reaction, anthropogenic pollution and weather factors, which collectively were responsible for more than 87% of the total variance of the island’s hydrochemistry. The cluster analysis indicated that three factors (weather, redox reaction and seawater intrusion) controlled the hydrochemistry of the area, and the variables were allocated to three groups based on similarity. A Piper diagram classified the island’s water types into Ca-HCO3 water type, Na-HCO3 water type, Na-SO4-Cl water type and Na-Cl water type, indicating recharge, mixed, weathering and leached from sewage and seawater intrusion, respectively. This work will provide policy makers and land managers with knowledge of the precise water quality problems affecting the island and can also serve as a guide for hydrochemistry assessments of other islands that share similar characteristics with the island in question.
Land suitability assessment (LSA) is a valuable tool for land use planning in major countries of ... more Land suitability assessment (LSA) is a valuable tool for land use planning in major countries of the world as well as in Malaysia. However, previous LSA studies have been conducted with the use of biophysical and ecological datasets to the neglect of equally important socio–economic variables. Therefore, this research is conducted at the sub national level to estimate suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia by application of socio-economic variables in conjunction with widely employed biophysical and ecological variables. The objective of this study is to provide an up–to date, GIS based agricultural land suitability assessment (ALSA) for determining suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia. Biophysical, ecological and socio-economic factors assumed to influence agricultural land use were assembled and the weights of their respective contributions to land suitability for agricultural uses were assessed using analytic hierarchical process. The result of this study found Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam districts of Selangor as the most suitable areas for cultivating paddy, oil palm and coconut whereas the Klang and Petaling are more suitable for growing rubber. Since Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam are generally suitable for growing wider variety of crops, the study foresaw potential environmental degradation of these locations from agricultural intensification. While this study could also be useful in assessing the potential agricultural yields and potential environmental degradation in the study area, it could also helps to estimate the potential conversion of agricultural land to non–agricultural uses.
In this paper, numerous studies on groundwater in
Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluati... more In this paper, numerous studies on groundwater in Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluating past trends and the current status for discerning the sustainability of the water resources in the country. It was found that most of the previous groundwater studies (44%) focused on the islands and mostly concentrated on qualitative assessment with more emphasis being placed on seawater intrusion studies. This was then followed by inland-based studies, with Selangor state leading the studies which reflected the current water challenges facing the state. From a methodological perspective, geophysics, graphical methods, and statistical analysis are the dominant techniques (38, 25, and 25 %) respectively. The geophysical methods especially the 2D resistivity method cut across many subjects such as seawater intrusion studies, quantitative assessment, and hydraulic parameters estimation. The statistical techniques used include multivariate statistical analysis techniques and ANOVA among others, most of which are quality related studies using major ions, in situ parameters, and heavy metals. Conversely, numerical techniques like MODFLOW were somewhat less admired which is likely due to their complexity in nature and high data demand. This work will facilitate researchers in identifying the specific areas which need improvement and focus, while, at the same time, provide policymakers and managers with an executive summary and knowledge of the current situation in groundwater studies and where more work needs to be done for sustainable development.
Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, ... more Groundwater chemistry of small tropical islands is influenced by many factors, such as recharge, weathering and seawater intrusion, among others, which interact with each other in a very complex way. In this work, multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate the factors controlling the groundwater chemistry of Kapas Island (Malaysia). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 17 hydrochemical parameters from 108 groundwater samples obtained from 18 sampling sites. PCA extracted four PCs, namely seawater intrusion, redox reaction, anthropogenic pollution and weather factors, which collectively were responsible for more than 87% of the total variance of the island’s hydrochemistry. The cluster analysis indicated that three factors (weather, redox reaction and seawater intrusion) controlled the hydrochemistry of the area, and the variables were allocated to three groups based on similarity. A Piper diagram classified the island’s water types into Ca-HCO3 water type, Na-HCO3 water type, Na-SO4-Cl water type and Na-Cl water type, indicating recharge, mixed, weathering and leached from sewage and seawater intrusion, respectively. This work will provide policy makers and land managers with knowledge of the precise water quality problems affecting the island and can also serve as a guide for hydrochemistry assessments of other islands that share similar characteristics with the island in question.
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Malaysia. However, previous LSA studies have been conducted with the use of biophysical and ecological datasets to the
neglect of equally important socio–economic variables. Therefore, this research is conducted at the sub national level to estimate
suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia by application of socio-economic variables in conjunction
with widely employed biophysical and ecological variables. The objective of this study is to provide an up–to date, GIS
based agricultural land suitability assessment (ALSA) for determining suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in
Malaysia. Biophysical, ecological and socio-economic factors assumed to influence agricultural land use were assembled and
the weights of their respective contributions to land suitability for agricultural uses were assessed using analytic hierarchical
process. The result of this study found Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam districts of Selangor as the most suitable areas for
cultivating paddy, oil palm and coconut whereas the Klang and Petaling are more suitable for growing rubber. Since Kuala
Langat and Sabak Bernam are generally suitable for growing wider variety of crops, the study foresaw potential environmental
degradation of these locations from agricultural intensification. While this study could also be useful in assessing the potential
agricultural yields and potential environmental degradation in the study area, it could also helps to estimate the potential
conversion of agricultural land to non–agricultural uses.
Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluating past trends
and the current status for discerning the sustainability of the
water resources in the country. It was found that most of the
previous groundwater studies (44%) focused on the islands and
mostly concentrated on qualitative assessment with more emphasis
being placed on seawater intrusion studies. This was
then followed by inland-based studies, with Selangor state leading
the studies which reflected the current water challenges
facing the state. From a methodological perspective, geophysics,
graphical methods, and statistical analysis are the dominant
techniques (38, 25, and 25 %) respectively. The geophysical
methods especially the 2D resistivity method cut across many
subjects such as seawater intrusion studies, quantitative assessment,
and hydraulic parameters estimation. The statistical techniques
used include multivariate statistical analysis techniques
and ANOVA among others, most of which are quality related
studies using major ions, in situ parameters, and heavy metals.
Conversely, numerical techniques like MODFLOW were
somewhat less admired which is likely due to their complexity
in nature and high data demand. This work will facilitate researchers
in identifying the specific areas which need improvement
and focus, while, at the same time, provide policymakers
and managers with an executive summary and knowledge of
the current situation in groundwater studies and where more
work needs to be done for sustainable development.
Malaysia. However, previous LSA studies have been conducted with the use of biophysical and ecological datasets to the
neglect of equally important socio–economic variables. Therefore, this research is conducted at the sub national level to estimate
suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in Malaysia by application of socio-economic variables in conjunction
with widely employed biophysical and ecological variables. The objective of this study is to provide an up–to date, GIS
based agricultural land suitability assessment (ALSA) for determining suitable agricultural land for major economic crops in
Malaysia. Biophysical, ecological and socio-economic factors assumed to influence agricultural land use were assembled and
the weights of their respective contributions to land suitability for agricultural uses were assessed using analytic hierarchical
process. The result of this study found Kuala Langat and Sabak Bernam districts of Selangor as the most suitable areas for
cultivating paddy, oil palm and coconut whereas the Klang and Petaling are more suitable for growing rubber. Since Kuala
Langat and Sabak Bernam are generally suitable for growing wider variety of crops, the study foresaw potential environmental
degradation of these locations from agricultural intensification. While this study could also be useful in assessing the potential
agricultural yields and potential environmental degradation in the study area, it could also helps to estimate the potential
conversion of agricultural land to non–agricultural uses.
Malaysia were reviewed with the aim of evaluating past trends
and the current status for discerning the sustainability of the
water resources in the country. It was found that most of the
previous groundwater studies (44%) focused on the islands and
mostly concentrated on qualitative assessment with more emphasis
being placed on seawater intrusion studies. This was
then followed by inland-based studies, with Selangor state leading
the studies which reflected the current water challenges
facing the state. From a methodological perspective, geophysics,
graphical methods, and statistical analysis are the dominant
techniques (38, 25, and 25 %) respectively. The geophysical
methods especially the 2D resistivity method cut across many
subjects such as seawater intrusion studies, quantitative assessment,
and hydraulic parameters estimation. The statistical techniques
used include multivariate statistical analysis techniques
and ANOVA among others, most of which are quality related
studies using major ions, in situ parameters, and heavy metals.
Conversely, numerical techniques like MODFLOW were
somewhat less admired which is likely due to their complexity
in nature and high data demand. This work will facilitate researchers
in identifying the specific areas which need improvement
and focus, while, at the same time, provide policymakers
and managers with an executive summary and knowledge of
the current situation in groundwater studies and where more
work needs to be done for sustainable development.