KMAM -PADANG TERAP

KMAM
Unit Kawalan Mutu Air Minum (KMAM) is headed by Mr. Saiful. The objective of KMAM is to monitor the quality of drinking water. There are five treatment plants in Padang Terap. They are situated in Kuala Nerang, Padang Senai, Lubuk Merbau, and Nami.

The water quality monitoring activity is a four network system and involves all five water treatment plants. They are:
Network 1 = Kuala Nerang A and B
Kuala Nerang Water Treatment Plant
Network 2 = Lubuk Merbau Water Treatment Plant
Network 3 = Nami Water Treatment Plant
Network 4 = Padang Sanai Water Treatment Plant
Water is sampled from 27 sampling stations. 4 from Intake, 5 from Treatment Plant Outlets, 5 from Service Reservoir Outlet, and 13 from the distribution centre.
The water sampled is analyzed under 3 different components. They are physical, chemical and microbiological. Under the physical component, water is tested for the turbidity, colour, pH and temperature.
Chemical analysis is further subdivided into short and long analysis. The short analysis involves test such as fluoride and chloride level while the long analysis involves testing for heavy metals such as argentum and zinc.
Microbiologically, the water sample is tested for E. coli and fecal coliform. Ideally these organisms should not be present.

Procedure for Water Sampling
1. The tap is fully opened and water is let to run for 2-5 minutes.
2. Then the tap is shut.
3. After that the pipe is heated up by direct flame for 3 minutes to remove any contamination.
4. The water is then collected.

Procedure for Water Treatment in Kuala Nerang Treatment Plant
1. The raw water undergoes a process of aeration. The purpose of aeration is to oxidize the water, thus increasing content of oxygen.
2. Next, it undergoes a process of flocculation in which Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC) is added to the water. PAC is a coagulant and it will form floc.
3. After that, the water will be directed to the sedimentation tank. Here, the floc sinks down the tank leaving cleaner water on top. This tank is washed fortnightly.
4. The fourth step involves filtration of the water. Here, the filter used is the rapid sand filter. It consists of two layers which are of rough sand and fine sand. There are 6 filters in total in this plant.
a. Cleaning of the filter is done every 3 days. First water is drained then the blower is used to get rid of mud balls.
5. The water is then directed to the contact tank, where fluorine and chlorine is added to it. Water is left there for 4 hours so that the chemicals dissolve evenly.
6. Then water enters into the clear water tank where lime is added to raise the pH of the water. The ideal pH is from 6.5-9.0.
7. This treated water is then pumped to the Service Reservoir Outlet for distribution.