Household Water Purification: What is it and Why is It Important?

Household water purification is the process of getting rid of undesirable materials, chemicals, and biological contaminants found in raw water for household use. The main objective is to be able to produce water for human consumption and for specific purposes. While people purify water for human consumption, water purification may also be used for different purposes, including pharmacology, medical, industrial, and chemical applications. Generally, the different methods used in household water purification include physical processes such as sedimentation and filtration, biological processes like activated sludge or slow sand filters, chemical processes such as chlorination and flocculation, and the utilization of electromagnetic radiation such as UV or ultraviolet light.

Household water purification may possibly reduce and decrease the concentration of different particulate matters including parasites, suspended particles, viruses, algae, bacteria, and a variety of particulate and dissolved material derived from surfaces that household water may have had contact with after the water has fallen as rain.

The standards for the quality of drinking water are generally set by the government or by international associations and organizations. Typically, these standards, both local and international, will set limits for both minimum and maximum concentration of contaminants and particulates depending on the use for which the water is actually made.

It is impossible to tell whether or not water has an appropriate quality visually. Simple processes like boiling or using household activated carbon filters are actually not sufficient to treat all possible particulates and contaminants that are possibly present in the water taken from an unknown source. Do you know that even spring water, which was for many years considered as safe and useful for practical purposes, must now be checked and tested before knowing which treatment is needed to purify it? Chemical analysis, though very costly, is the best way to acquire the necessary information one needs to decide which household water purification method is appropriate for you.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 report, around 1.1 billion people around the world lack the access to a healthy, clean, and potable water supply and 88% of the 5 billion annual cases of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera are attributed to unhealthy, unsafe, contaminated water, and 1.8 million people worldwide die from these water-borne diseases every year. WHO estimated that 95% of these water-borne diseases may be prevented through proper environmental modifications, including access to healthy, safe, clean, and potable water. Simple household water purification techniques such as filters, chlorination, solar disinfection, and proper storage could save a large number of lives every year.