**2. Study area and methods**

#### **2.1 Study area**

Kapas Island is located in the district of Marang, Terengganu at latitude 05°13.042′N and longitude 103°15.700′E. Kapas Island was selected as a study area because of its active tourism activities and freshwater resources are highly needed for tourists' domestic use. The Marang district is famous for its Kapas Island and is one of the eight districts in the state of Terengganu. The entire area of Marang district covers a 666.54 km2 area consisting of six sub-districts, namely Merchang, Pulau Kerengga, Jerung, Rusila, Bukit Payong and Alor Limbat.

Kapas Island is a short distance island located about 6 km away from Marang jetty and is one of the islands in the state of Terengganu (**Figure 1**). The size of Kapas Island is about 1.5 km<sup>2</sup> to 2.5 km<sup>2</sup> and is famous for its clear sea water, white sandy beaches and waving coconut trees, swings along the coast. The island is also quite secluded, away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland and known for its unique marine park in the island area filled with various soft and hard corals, fish, turtles and other interesting marine life making it a mandatory destination for scuba diving and snorkeling activities [16]. The relaxing atmosphere of this island gives comfort to visitors as well as the chances to try

*Seasonal Variability of Groundwater Quality in Kapas Island, Terengganu, Malaysia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99863*



### **Table 1.**

*The names and positions of groundwater quality observation stations.*

out various water activities such as swimming, kayaking, waterboarding, hiking tropical forest tracks and climbing Bukit Singa (Singa Hill). In order to assess the level of groundwater quality in Kapas Island, four sampling locations were determined as shown in **Figure 1** and **Table 1**.
