Water Treatment for Consumption

 Introduction
Water treatment is a process of removing any unwanted materials, chemicals or biological contaminants from raw water. Water is mostly treated for human consumption which means domestic use and drinking. However it can also be treated to meet the requirements of medical, chemical and industrial sectors. The processes taken to purify water are mainly sedimentation, filtration, flocculation and chlorination.

The treatment process
The first step is sedimentation, which is the process that involves the removal of big particles like sand, silt or clay that make water murky and cloudy. Disease causing micro-organisms often attach themselves to these particles thus it is vital to eliminate them in the process.

The second process is filtration. The water is filtered to remove the microorganisms that cause diseases. Filtration can be done using a biosand filter, kanchan arsenic filter, ceramic pot or a candle filter.

The third process is flocculation. It is the process that removes the cloudiness or coloration in water to make it clear. It is done using flocculation agents like iron (iii) hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide or polyDADMAC.

The last process is chlorination. Water is disinfected using chlorine or its compounds chloramines and chlorine dioxide. This kills the pathogens found in water and basically halts any biological activity.

Water can also be purified through boiling, mostly used by homesteads, granular activated carbon filtering, distillation or reverse osmosis where raw water is forced though a semi-permeable membrane to produce pure water.

Effects of untreated water
Untreated water can be harmful to human health and incompatible with industrial and medical applications. For instance the pathogens found in water are the main cause of water borne disease like diarrhea and cholera. Many lives have been claimed through these diseases and many more lost in areas where untreated water is consumed. The ions and chemical elements like calcium and magnesium cause teeth discoloration and make water hard and resistant to detergents. Hard water has also been found to affect industrial machinery.

Thus it goes without saying that treatment of water is extremely important. Clean purified water results in better health through reduction of many preventable diseases.