WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS

Ensure safe water 

Pollution of groundwater ought to be made a criminal offence and the law enforced with efficiency

Pallavee Dhaundiyal Panthry & Debasish Roy 


Industrialization has definitely provided livelihood and opportunities to millions in urban India. However, it has raised the problem of waste disposal, contamination of environment - air, soil, surface water bodies and ground water aquifer, etc.,-- which have resulted in contamination imperiling human beings, livestock and plants. 
Pollution of groundwater with industrial effluents and municipal waste released into water bodies is another major concern in many cities and industrial clusters in India. 
The presence of fluoride in water cannot be detected without the help of equipment otherwise evident through symptoms such as yellowing of teeth, damaged joints and bone deformities. Pharmaceutical chemicals are the latest addition to the numerous contaminants in the water bodies across the globe. Once the purity of water filtered with home water purification system becomes uncertain, most people start surviving on bottled water. 
But with so many water purification systems options available in the market, how do we figure out which one produces healthiest water. The key to the right home water purifiers is to compare the features with the products contemporaries . The number of products can be simply compared on the requirements such as: capability to reduce contamination; overall cost; cost per gallon; purification technology used; power efficiency; ability to remove an identified list of toxins; stages of the system. 
The widely in demand reverse osmosis purifiers are designed to remove the salt from the sea water along with minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Over the years, widespread construction and manufacturing in NCR has lead to chemical and bacteriological contamination in the ground water, rendering most drinking water sources unsafe for consumption. Reverse osmosis is the most effective water treatment technology that can remove a wide range of impurities, including chemicals, to make water completely safe for drinking, which is why it is the fastest growing segment in purifiers, says Shantanu Das Gupta, VP corporate affairs and strategy, Asia South, Whirlpool of India. 
In distillation, the entire process removes pathogenic bacteria and inorganic compounds such as lead, calcium, magnesium etc. but it is not effective in removing chemicals , as these have lower boiling point than water. It is here that refrigeration gains importance as safe drinking water has to be stored hygenically and kept away from bacteria that can grow with time. However, ultra violet light kills bacteria and viruses present in water but these are ineffective against non-living substances such as lead, asbestos, chlorine and other organic chemicals. Hence, these are used in combination with carbon block technology that removes more contaminants than other system.