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WITH summers and soaring temperatures, water-borne infections like typhoid, cholera, hepatitis and diarrhoea are also on the rise. Besides general hygiene and precautions in food, quality of water also needs to be regulated. Around 4 billion cases of diarrhoea occur annually, of which 88 per cent is attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene (WHO). Primarily, water supply at home is either from underground bore-well tanks or municipality supply. Unfortunately, most tap, underground and well water is not safe for drinking due to heavy industrial, environmental pollution, impurities including microbial (bacteria, viruses etc.) and chemical (lead, nitrate, arsenic, chromium and fluoride). Toxic bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals pollute our natural water sources, making people sick while exposing them to long-term health consequences such as liver damage and other serious conditions. Whether we receive water from a bore-well or a community water system, it must be treated at the point of use. A good water filtration system installed in our home is the only way to monitor and ensure the quality and safety of drinking water. Water from the community water system commonly is treated/purified at home level by either of the processes — boiling, filtration, purification or reverse osmosis. The aim for safe drinking water should be to minimise microbial load (bacteria & viruses), chemical toxins, heavy metals, including pesticides and retain useful minerals like calcium and magnesium. Boiling is by far the most commonly used approach to disinfect water at the household level. Boiling water will kill most types of disease-causing organisms that may be present, but does not remove heavy metals and minerals. Boil the water for 5-10 minutes, let it cool, and store it in clean containers with covers and dispensing device such as tap or spigot. Boiled or heat-treated water should be consumed soon after it has cooled and preferably within the same day. This is because of the potential for microbial recontamination during prolonged storage. Filters using UV light are also used for water treatment and purification. Filters use thick porous materials such as carbon or ceramic to trap particles as water flows through the material. Activated carbon filters also remove organic chemicals and heavy metals. UV disinfection has the advantages of being effective for inactivating waterborne pathogens, low cost, while not requiring the use of chemicals, odors or toxic chemical by-products. Reverse osmosis, a new method of water purification, has taken over traditional methods of boiling, chlorination or filtration. Reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove 90-99 per cent of all contaminants to deliver healthy drinking water. Reduced cost and increased performance of this method of water treatment has further increased its usage. However, along with removing the unwanted chemicals, microbes and compounds, it also takes away the minerals significantly. Such de-mineralised water has been associated with several health risks including:
Many even use bottled water on a routine basis. The two biggest selling types of bottled water are spring water and purified water. Purified water is the most highly treated and closely regulated bottled water product. There are three primary processes used to produce purified water: deionization, distillation and reverse osmosis. Most bottlers choose RO over the others because of economics and efficacy. Drinking water should contain minimum levels of certain essential minerals. Bottled water with minerals, conforming to standards is better than de-mineralised water. Remember
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