Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Heavy Metals Distribution in Surface Water of Perai River, Malaysia

Heavy metals are frequently found in surface water, where their concentrations were dramatically changed. This study aims to determine the potential heavy metal pollution sources in the Perai River and analyse the temporal heavy metals distribution related to tidal effects. Perai River is surrounded by industrial areas, which is why it was selected as the case study. 15 sampling points were selected as potential point sources. The concentration of heavy metals was determined using ICP-OES, and the spatial distribution analysis was done using the ArcGIS Pro Software. It was found that iron, lead, copper, zinc and manganese were significant in this study. It can be concluded that, for spatial distribution, both tidal effects have one or more sampling points that are categorised as high in concentrations area for each heavy metal. For temporal analysis, all heavy metals except lead at specific sampling points and tidal effects exceed the permissible limit regarding the National Water Quality Standard Malaysia.