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Water is an essential component of
life. Though it is available at earth’s crust in different
forms, yet water for
drinking and irrigation is scarce.
Even as the existing resources are scanty and overexploited,
the demand for water escalates with each passing day. The
situation aggravates in the water scarce region such as hilly
terrains, where most of the water drains out due to its topography.
The dilemma further magnifies as water scarcity couples with
the problem of water quality that is directly affected by
inappropriate sanitation, hygiene, and water management practices.
The resultant populated water not only leads to several human
diseases but also impairs the environment water resources
and infrastructure.
Water can be procured from several sources such as surface
water (rivers, ponds, streams, lakes, etc.), groundwater (subsurface
water aquifers, bores, wells, etc.), and rainwater (rainfall).
During its course of travel, water accumulates several chemical
components such as inorganic salts—consisting of chloride,
fluoride, nitrates, carbonates and bi-carbonates, sulphates,
calcium, magnesium, and several other cations and anions—
and organic substances, which remain in the water either in
dissolved or suspended state. This organic and inorganic load,
along with varied micro organisms, tends to deprive water
of the desired quality required for drinking and irrigation.
Hence, it becomes essential to assess the quality of water
from different sources to evaluate its suitability according
to its use. A device that can provide first hand information
about the essential parameters of water quality at site itself
could, hence, serve as a potential tool in decision making
for water usage such as drinking.
Comprehending the need for an on-site water quality-testing
device that can be used by wider spectrum of people, TERI
developed a field based portable water testing kit to help
evaluate some of the basic parameters indicative of water
potability.
Construction of water filters using locally available resources
and filter candle would be demonstrated for the community.
This filter is constructed using two earthen pots(or any locally
available vessel). A filter candle is fitted in the base of
one vessel that is placed on the top of another vessel. To
increase the pore size of this candle, it has to be boiled
for half an hour in water before fitting it in the base of
the vessel. Water to be purified is poured in the upper vessel
or pot, which slowly filters through this candle and get collected
in the lower pot or the vessel fitted with a tap to use water.
Depending upon the demand the same filter would be provided
to the households and one would be kept at the school in each
village. Such water filters could be made more in number and
provided to the community at genuine rate if demanded.
Besides, the group of unemployed youth of the village could
be identified who would arrange the resources from their local
market and make such water filters to meet the demand by the
community.
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