HYDROGEOLOGY, HYDROGEOCHEMISTRY, AND POTENTIAL GROUNDWATER OF LOONUNA VILLAGE, BELU DISTRICT, EAST NUSA TENGGARA

• Main Author: Dhani Santoso, Ahmad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/81775
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The increasing global demand for clean water supply is evident, including in Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with a tropical climate. According to the Groundwater Basin Map of East Nusa Tenggara Province, much of the territory in Timor Island, including Loonuna Village in Belu Regency near the Indonesia-Timor Leste border, is not within groundwater basins. Consequently, the availability of clean water in Loonuna Village is severely limited. A study was conducted to assess the groundwater potential in this area. The research methodology involved measuring the chemical-physical parameters of water using a water quality meter, including temperature, pH, TDS, CD, salinity, DO, and ORP. Dissolved gas Radon-222 (222Rn) was measured using a RAD7 Durridge device in samples from rivers, springs, and wells. Geoelectric surveys using Schlumberger configuration, alongside pumping tests and flow rate measurements using a current meter. Water samples were prepared for Ion Chromatography (IC), alkalinity titration, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), and stable isotope testing. Data obtained from sample testing were analyzed using Piper and Gibbs diagrams and stable isotope ratio analysis. Solid samples underwent XRD and XRF tests. The research results showed that there was evaporation in the water. The groundwater in the research area is of the Calcium (Magnesium)-Bicarbonate type, which is shallow groundwater. Dissolved radon measurements indicate the presence of a permeable zone. The characteristics of the shallow aquifer show good quality based on the hydraulic conductivity value from the pumping test. This groundwater depends on rainfall and does not have a good recharge zone, causing water not to be stored optimally. The aquifer layer is found only in the upper layer, so it is not ideal for deep groundwater drilling.