Riverbank Filtration Site Suitability Selection Using Spatial Data Techniques: Case Study for Kota Lama Kiri, Kuala Kangsar

Abstract

Site surface characterization is an important factor to identify a suitable area for riverbank filtration (RBF) location. However, selecting the suitable area for RBF location using conventional methods is costly and time consuming, usually restricted to a small area. In this research, a site suitability for RBF location methodology was proposed using spatial data techniques to determine the site suitability of the potential RBF location in Kota Lama Kiri, Kuala Kangsar study area. A high resolution GeoEye-1 satellite imagery acquired in 2012 was classified using the supervised classification process for land cover. The classified image was further analyze using overlaying, buffering and Boolean analysis, to identify the suitable site for RBF based on location, distance from the river and distant from built-up area. In addition, the geology and hydrological data were extracted from published maps, which were then converted and integrated into GIS spatial database. The results show that the classified GeoEye-1 image produces the overall accuracies of 83.50% % with kappa statistic value of 0.806. The site suitability map for the potential RBF locations in the study area were produced confirms the location of an existing RBF well developed by Lembaga Air Perak (LAP). The methodology can be readily used to provide information of suitability area for RBF location in which can be used by water supply management to locate the RBF well for extraction purposes.