An Assessment of the Potential, Suitability and Sustainability of the Sand Mining Site in the Kemaman River Basin, Terengganu Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

Abstract

Sand mining from the catchment basin for building is a worldwide issue. The increasing demand for sand in the construction industry has led sand suppliers to look for alternative methods by which they can obtain source of sand from the riverbed. Floodplain and river slabs can be used as new sources of sand mining. In Sungai Kemaman, during September until March a high precipitation can cause high flow in river. This high flow can cause riverbank erosion which leads to instability of river. Therefore, river erosion can probably be reduced by identifying the potential area for sand mining. This research was conducted to analyse sand capability on floodplain and riverbed by integrating resistivity method and sediment transport loads using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). Resistivity survey is used in determining the availability of potential soil at the study area and the equipment could measure subsurface profile up to 80 meters depth. Meanwhile, ADCP survey is utilized to make river profiler in term of velocity meshes and riverbed depth. The primary data collected was from 20 January 2014 to 19 February 2014. The findings found that the samples trapped in the Helly-Smith grabber were majority of the samples consisted more than 93% of gravel and sand materials and from the resistivity analysis, it is verified that the surrounding materials along the Sungai Kemaman is sandy material and high potential of the sand mining site.