Drinking Water - Basics

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• Ground water and surface water are primary sources of water that are vulnerable to contamination from physical  mineral, and organic impurities. The Bureau of Indian Standards has specified desirable  or permissible levels of various minerals and chemicals in water which guide the user on safe drinking water. The document written by Shiv Shankar Ranganathan gives an overview on water contaminants, basic purifying techniques along with the BIS 10500 standard for drinking water. Click Here

• The quality of drinking water is of special concern in India’s rural areas, as people are prone to different water borne diseases.  Ensuring safe drinking water for the large rural population is a challenge given the paradigm of different levels in education, development, reach and awareness. Water supply and management in rural India has also evolved over the years. For an understanding the problems in water quality problems in rural areas of different states, refer the WaterAid’s ‘Drinking Water Quality in Rural India – Issues and Approaches’, written by  Indira Khurana and Romit Sen. Click here 

• An increasing number of households are going in for water filters, of which there is a wide range in the market. Broadly, different water filters can remove different water impurities or contaminants. In general, there are four types of water filters which include Ultra Violate (UV), Ultra Filtration (UF), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Chemical Dosing (CD).  The water quality of the area should be taken into consideration to determine the appropriate water filter.For more information, Click here 

• Water sources are contaminated by various minerals and chemicals. These affect the colour, odour, taste and composition of water. A presentation developed by Bureau of Indian Standards helps in understanding the various types of water contaminants, the potential diseases that can arise by consuming contaminated water and the relevant purifying techniques. Click Here