Water Quality - Explore

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• Did you know that the Bureau of Indian Standards has specified permissible limits for various minerals and chemicals in your water. And did you know what are its effects on health and in general? For example, the presence of iron can make your water taste bitter and even stain your clothes during wash? Or did you know that zinc in water gives an astringent like taste to water and it can cause vomiting, among other renal diseases.  TWAD has developed a ready reckoner on impact and permissible limits of various mineral and chemicals. Click here 

• Drinking water of poor quality can result in many diseases. Diarrhoea is one such common water borne disease. It can cause a massive dehydration of the body's fluids, which if uncontrolled may even prove fatal.  Read more on diarrhoea and the techniques of rehydration. The information has been sourced from rehydrate.org. Click here

• Awareness about common water contaminants is useful for preventing diseases caused by them. Fluorine is one of the major contaminants of water in India and its the excessive presence causes a condition called fluorosis. The article, 'Eradication of Fluorosis in India' written by Dr. R Jagadishwara Rao  Read this document that describes the magnitude of fluorosis in India. Click here

• Ensuring safe drinking water for all is one of the biggest challenges for India. The availability of safe drinking water in the country’s rural areas involves water supply, monitoring of quality and equitable distribution. WaterAid. an internationally acclaimed NGO,  has prepared a comprehensive document titled ‘Drinking Water Quality in India – Issues and approaches’. Read More

• Not many are probably aware that plants and seeds were commonly used in the traditional methods of water purification. Vetiver plants are known to possess properties that prevent soil and water loss, and recently they have also been found to be useful for water purification. Read this informative article on India Together on the benefits of the Vetiver plant.Benefits of the Vetiver plant. Similarly, the seeds of the Moringa have been found to be one of the most effective water purifying agents.   Read more on the utility of these seeds in treating water. The information has been sourced from the paper titled Moringa Water Treatment, written by Beth Doerr, Echo staff. Read More
  
• Bangalore has been toying with the idea of privatizing its piped water supply.  This thought has given rise to one of the most intensive debates in the water sector.  Here is a case study on the Indian ‘piped dreams’. Click Here