Groundwater contamination status in Malaysia: level of heavy metal, source, health impact, and remediation technologies.

Groundwater is defined as water that exists underground in voids or gaps in sediments and is extracted for human consumption from aquifers. It is critical to our daily lives because it contributes to the sustainability of our natural ecosystem while also providing economic benefits. Heavy metals are metallic compounds with a relatively high atomic weight and density compared to water. In Malaysia, heavy metal contamination of groundwater has become a concern due to rapid population growth, economic development, and a lack of environmental awareness. Environmental factors or their behaviors, such as density, viscosity, or volume, affect the distribution and transportation of heavy metals. The article discusses the difficulties created by the presence of heavy metals in groundwater supplies and the resulting health problems. Additionally, remediation methods are discussed for managing contaminated water to preserve the ecological environment for current and future generations, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Usability of existing global and national data for flood related vulnerability assessment in Indonesia.

Public climatic data are rapidly growing in volume and complexity at global and national scales but these data remain underutilized for vulnerability assessment. We aim to explore how flood records from Dartmouth Flood Observatory, a global flood monitoring database, can be linked with a national disaster database maintained by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, to aid local vulnerability assessment in Indonesia. We focused on physical damage to structures and agricultural crops from flooding and examined spatiotemporal patterns of a vulnerability metric derived from principal component analysis. We identified the most vulnerable areas based on emerging hot spot analysis and detected sporadic hotspots (i.e. on again then off again) of flooding in Jakarta and West Java. Using our derived metric, we identified oscillating cold spots (i.e. a cold spot that was previously a hot spot) of vulnerability in Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java. The detection of nonhomogeneous spatiotemporal trends in flooding and vulnerability demonstrate potential usability of public climate data and help to outline directions for novel research.

First evidence of microplastics in the water and sediment of Surakarta city river basin, Indonesia.

The main aim of this study was to assess the presence of microplastics in the water and sediments of the Surakarta city river basin in Indonesia. In order to accurately reflect the river basin, a deliberate selection process was employed to choose three separate sampling locations and twelve sampling points. The results of the study revealed that fragments and fibers were the primary types of microplastics seen in both water and sediment samples. Furthermore, a considerable percentage of microplastics, comprising 53.8 % of the total, had dimensions below 1 mm. Moreover, the prevailing hues identified in the water samples were blue and black, comprising 45.1 % of the overall composition. In contrast, same color categories accounted for 23.3 % of the microplastics found in the soil samples. The analysis of microplastic polymers was carried out utilizing ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, which yielded the identification of various types including polystyrene, silicone polymer, polyester, and polyamide.

A novel report on the occurrence of microplastics in Pekalongan River Estuary, Java Island, Indonesia.

This study aimed to address the pressing issue of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems by assessing the prevalence and distribution of microplastics (MPs) in water and riverbank sediments of the Pekalongan River, a vital water source in Indonesia. From the present findings, MP concentrations in water ranged from 45.2 to 99.1 particles/L, while sediment concentrations ranged from 0.77 to 1.01 particles/g. This study revealed that fragment and film MPs constituted 30.1 % and 25.4 % of the total, respectively, with MPs measuring <1 mm and constituting 51.4 % of the total. Colored MPs, particularly blue and black MPs, accounted for 34 % of the total. The primary polymer components, as determined via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were identified as polystyrene, polyester, and polyamide. In response to the escalating plastic waste crisis caused by single-use plastics, Pekalongan's local government implemented refuse segregation and recycling programs as part of its efforts to transition toward zero-waste practices.

Household Flood Severity and Migration Extent in Central Java: Analysis of the Indonesian Family Life Survey.

Central Java, Indonesia, is prone to river and coastal flooding due to climate changes and geological factors. Migration is one possible adaptation to flooding, but research is limited due to lack of longitudinal spatially granular datasets on migration and metrics to identify flood-affected households. The available literature indicates social and economic barriers may limit mobility from flood prone areas. The Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) provides self-reported data on household experiences with natural disasters among 1501 Central Java households followed over two waves (2007 and 2014). We examined how the severity of flooding, defined by household-level impacts captured by the IFLS (death, injury, financial loss, or relocation of a household member), influenced the extent of household movement in Central Java using a generalized ordered logit/partial proportional odds model. Households severely impacted by floods had 75% lower odds of moving farther away compared to those that did not experience floods. The most severely impacted households may be staying within flood-affected areas in Central Java. Public health, nutrition, and economic surveys should include modules focused on household experiences, impacts, and adaptations to facilitate the study of how climate changes are impacting these outcomes.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in environmental matrices: Occurrence, fate, health impact, physio-chemical and bioremediation technology.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are an emerging category of toxicity that adversely impacts humans and the environment's well-being. Diseases like cancer, cardiovascular risk, behavioral disorders, autoimmune defects, and reproductive diseases are related to these endocrine disruptors. Because these chemicals exist in known sources such as pharmaceuticals and plasticizers, as well as non-point sources such as agricultural runoff and storm water infiltration, the interactive effects of EDCs are gaining attention. However, the efficiency of conventional treatment methods is not sufficient to fully remediate EDCs from aqueous environments as the occurrence of EDC bioremediation and biodegradation is detected in remediated drinking water. Incorporating modification into current remediation techniques has to overcome challenges such as high energy consumption and health risks resulting from conventional treatment. Hence, the use of advanced psychochemical and biological treatments such as carbon-based adsorption, membrane technology, nanostructured photocatalysts, microbial and enzyme technologies is crucial. Intensifying environmental and health concerns about these mixed contaminants are primarily due to the lack of laws about acute concentration limits of these EDCs in municipal wastewater, groundwater, surface water, and drinking water. This review article offers evidence of fragmentary available data for the source, fate, toxicity, ecological and human health impact, remediation techniques, and mechanisms during EDC removal, and supports the need for further data to address the risks associated with the presence of EDCs in the environment. The reviews also provide comprehensive data for biodegradation of EDCs by using microbes such as fungi, bacteria, yeast, filamentous fungi, and their extracellular enzymes.

The abundance of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in downstream of the Bengawan Solo and Brantas rivers located in Indonesia.

Numerous chemical substances are used for daily life activities have an effect on the endocrine system and are frequently classed as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The present study investigated the fact and distribution of EDCs type (estrogen, plasticizer, and preservative). In particular, EDCs such as estriol, 1,2,4 triazole, 17α-ethinylestradiol, methyl paraben, estrone, 3,4,4 trichlorocarbanilide, 17ß-estradiol, and bisphenol A (BPA) were selected as the target EDCs for the detection in the Bengawan Solo and Brantas rivers located in Indonesia. Among the targeted EDCs, BPA is found to be highest in the water samples of Bengawan Solo (1070 ng/L and mean at 219 ng/L) and Brantas (556 ng/L and mean at 222 ng/L) rivers. The EDCs concentration is higher in both rivers during the dry season compared to the wet season due to the dilution effect caused by heavy rainfall. The entry of municipal wastewater is the primary sources of EDCs contamination in both rivers. Finally, this study suggests that the contamination level of EDCs in river water could pose an environmental threat, particularly during dry seasons.