Description
Access to safe drinking water is essential for safeguarding the health and well-being of Indigenous school communities. This dataset presents the physicochemical characteristics and heavy-metal concentrations of drinking-water samples collected from five Orang Asli primary schools in Perak, Malaysia, namely SK Pos Bersih, SK Pos Tenau, SK Batu 7, SK Batu 14, and SK Pos Raya. Water samples were obtained from 13 sampling locations, comprising main water sources, available storage tanks, and tap outlets to evaluate water quality throughout the drinking-water supply systems. Six physicochemical parameters, including temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), and electrical conductivity (EC), were measured alongside five selected heavy metals, namely lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe). The results were evaluated against the Malaysian National Drinking Water Quality Standards. The findings revealed elevated lead concentrations at all sampling locations, ranging from 0.045 to 0.222 mg/L, exceeding the maximum acceptable limit of 0.010 mg/L. These research data provide valuable baseline information on drinking-water quality and potential contamination risks, supporting future environmental monitoring, health-risk assessments, and evidence-based interventions to improve water safety in remote Indigenous school communities.