Water Quality

Overview
Access to safe drinking-water is essential to health, a basic human right and a

component of effective policy for health protection. This is important as a health
and development issue at a national, regional and local level. In some regions, it
has been shown that investments in water supply and sanitation can yield a net
economic benefit, since the reductions in adverse health effects and health care
costs outweigh the costs of undertaking the interventions.
1. pH value:
PH is an important parameter in evaluating the acid–base balance of water. It is also
the indicator of acidic or alkaline condition of water status. WHO has recommended
maximum permissible limit of pH from 6.5 to 8.5. The current investigation ranges
were 6.52–6.83 which are in the range of WHO standards.
2. Hardness:
Hardness is mainly caused by calcium and magnesium salts. These salts are dissolved
from geologic deposits through which water travels. The length of time water is in
contact with hardness producing material helps determine how much hardness there is
in raw water. Hardness was originally defined as the capacity of water to precipitate
soap caused by Calcium and Magnesium.
3. Solids (Total dissolved solids - TDS):

Water has the ability to dissolve a wide range of inorganic and some organic minerals
or salts such as potassium, calcium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, magnesium,
sulfates etc. These minerals produced un-wanted taste and diluted color in appearance
of water. This is the important parameter for the use of water. The water with high
TDS value indicates that water is highly mineralized. Desirable limit for TDS is 500
mg/l and maximum limit is 1000 mg/l which prescribed for drinking purpose.
4. Chloramines:
Chlorine and chloramine are the major disinfectants used in public water systems.
Chloramines are most commonly formed when ammonia is added to chlorine to treat
drinking water. Chlorine levels up to 4 milligrams per liter (mg/L or 4 parts per
million (ppm)) are considered safe in drinking water.
5. Sulfate:
Sulfates are naturally occurring substances that are found in minerals, soil, and
rocks. They are present in ambient air, groundwater, plants, and food. The principal
commercial use of sulfate is in the chemical industry. Sulfate concentration in
seawater is about 2,700 milligrams per liter (mg/L). It ranges from 3 to 30 mg/L in
most freshwater supplies, although much higher concentrations (1000 mg/L) are found
in some geographic locations.
6. Conductivity:
Pure water is not a good conductor of electric current rather’s a good insulator.
Increase in ions concentration enhances the electrical conductivity of water.
Generally, the amount of dissolved solids in water determines the electrical
conductivity. Electrical conductivity (EC) actually measures the ionic process of a
solution that enables it to transmit current. According to WHO standards, EC value
should not exceeded 400 μS/cm.
7. Organic_carbon:
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in source waters comes from decaying natural organic
matter (NOM) as well as synthetic sources. TOC is a measure of the total amount of
carbon in organic compounds in pure water. According to US EPA < 2 mg/L as TOC in
treated / drinking water, and < 4 mg/Lit in source water which is use for treatment.
8. Trihalomethanes:
THMs are chemicals which may be found in water treated with chlorine. The
concentration of THMs in drinking water varies according to the level of organic
material in the water, the amount of chlorine required to treat the water, and the
temperature of the water that is being treated. THM levels up to 80 ppm is considered
safe in drinking water.
9. Turbidity:
The turbidity of water depends on the quantity of solid matter present in the
suspended state. It is a measure of light emitting properties of water and the test
is used to indicate the quality of waste discharge with respect to colloidal matter.
The mean turbidity value obtained for Wondo Genet Campus (0.98 NTU) is lower than the
WHO recommended value of 5.00 NTU.
10. Potability:
Indicates if water is safe for human consumption where 1 means Potable and 0 means
Not potable.

Water Quality

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Water Quality

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Water Quality

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Overview

Access to safe drinking-water is essential to health, a basic human right and a

3. Solids (Total dissolved solids - TDS):

You might also like