Groundwater Quality Analysis at Merauke IIb Prison, Merauke Regency, South Papua Province

¹ Groundwater Center, Directorate General of Water Resources, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 193, Dago, Bandung 40135, Indonesia
² Department of Geological Engineering, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Papua, Jl. Gunung Salju No. 1, Amban, Manokwari 98314, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Groundwater resource that can be utilized by humans to meet their needs. A study on the potential distribution of groundwater was conducted at Merauke IIb Prison, Merauke Regency, South Papua Province using the 1D geoelectrical measurement method analysis of the Werner-Schlumberger configuration. The data acquisition was performed on two measurement paths. The length of the first path (GL-LPS1) was 300 m, with a spacing of 2.5 - 25 meters. The second path (GL-LPS2) is 180 m, with a spacing of 2.5 - 20 meters. The results showed that these two test wells contained brackish-salty water while one test well was fresh water. Based on the data analysis, the dominant resistivity value was <315 Ωm in both paths which was interpreted as clay, sand and gravel. Moreover, the distribution of aquifers on the first path was at a depth of 83.5-170 meters, while in path 2 the distribution of aquifers was at a depth of 90-110 meters. Thus, the analysis results indicated heterogeneity in the groundwater quality. Despite similar local lithologies, this indicates different water sources at each location. Therefore, water supply management must be considered in a prison environment.