Importance of Water Testing in Monsoon Season

Significance of Consuming Good Quality Water

Safe potable water is essential for protecting public health. The water utilized for consumption and household activities must be free from toxins and pollutants. The primary reason being, water containing pathogens can spread diseases. Giardiasis, cholera, hepatitis, typhoid, jaundice, and food poison are some of the common diseases caused by contaminated water.

Waterborne infection is an outcome of consuming unsafe water or using it for brushing, bathing, or cooking. Since water is widely used in households and other indoor premises, a large emphasis is placed on water testing.

How monsoon season affects drinking water quality?

The onset of monsoon season may bring joy to locals and farmers, but it raises concern for the quality of drinking water and sees a surge in demand for water purifiers. With monsoon season, comes problems such as water stagnation, surface-runoff, or farm run-off which contaminate the otherwise potable water.

The subsoil water level may rise and enter drinking water through leaky pipes, thus contaminating it. Monsoon can also cause water to become cloudy due to the high run-off or cross-contamination of rusty plumbing issues. Nevertheless, cloudy water is not safe to drink. Additionally, excess rains may cause water pipes to burst, therefore releasing sewage or wastewater into sources of drinking water. As a result, the risks of waterborne diseases increase during the rainy season.

What is Potable Water?

The term ‘potable water’ may be unfamiliar to you because it is not often used in our daily lives. The earth contains a high percentage of water, but not all of it is drinkable. Potable water means the water is safe for consumption. Worldwide standards exist for categorizing a water source as potable. This practice helps to avoid the health risks posed by drinking water that is unsafe for consumption. Similar to other sources of water, potable water is also at risk of becoming contaminated.

Contaminants like inorganic and organic pollutants, sediments, and pathogens may lower the quality of water, making it unsuitable for drinking. Globally, the percentage of potable water is in danger due to shortage and water pollution. Untreated surface water can cause various diseases and death. Hence, only freshwater and water that passes several criteria and safety parameters are classified as potable.

Parameters that are tested for estimating the quality of Potable Water

Potable water quality should be tested from time to time to keep its quality and purity at check. For the testing, two liters of drinking water are assessed for different water quality parameters. These mainly fall under three categories, namely physical, chemical, and biological. Each of these categories determines whether or not the water being tested is contaminated by physical, chemical, or biological sources.

Physical parameters examine the physical appearance of the water, whereas chemical parameters measure the chemical constituents. The biological tests evaluate contamination due to fecal coliform bacteria, which are commonly present in excreta. Water containing fecal coliform serve as an indication of sewage contamination. Each parameter is validated against standards to draw conclusions. Let’s have a look at the common physico-chemical and biological tests that are carried out to analyze the quality of drinking water.

Physical parameters:

Color

Odor

Turbidity

Temperature

Chemical parameters:

Conductivity

Total dissolved solids (TDS)

Dissolved oxygen (DO)

COD (chemical oxygen demand)

BOD (biological oxygen demand)

Testing for nutrients such as nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates.

Biological:

Fecal coliform count

Water testing is not limited to potable water in monsoon season

Besides potable water, other categories of water also require regular testing:

STP water testing

STP stands for the Sewage Treatment Plant, where sewage is treated for purification, and sludge is produced. To operate properly, the influent water, effluent water, and sludge are periodically tested. These tests monitor the sewage and sludge compositions that indicate the efficiency of an STP plant.

ETP water testing

Effluent treatment plants are places where industrial effluent undergoes treatment before disposal into water bodies. The main purpose of testing water quality in an ETP is to check the water before treatment (inlet water), during treatment and post-treatment (outlet water). These tests help to ensure that the ETP is adapted to the established standards.

Tap water testing

Tap water is usually available in offices and premises. The water from the tap may be used for different purposes including washing utensils, clothes, hands, etc. Tap water testing guarantees its safe usage. It may have water quality issues and possible contamination due to pipe leakage. Tap water is tested to check for the presence of chemical and biological contaminants to confirm whether its utilization is safe.

Swimming pool water testing

Testing pool water is vital to identify the presence of chemicals or bacteria or chemical imbalance conditions in the water. A clean and safe swimming pool is significant for its sustenance and protecting public health. Pool water is predominantly tested for pH, chlorine, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, and total dissolved solids. Frequent testing of swimming pool water ensures balanced conditions, implying appropriate pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness.

Borewell water testing

Borewell water finds its applications in agriculture, industries, and drinking water. Borewell is perceived as a dependable source of water supply, but it may be subjected to contamination by runoff, chemicals, and pathogens. Sometimes, contaminants including heavy metals may percolate through groundwater and risk borewell water quality. Water from borewells needs to be tested to assure its quality.

Well-water testing

Well-water is known to serve useful for personal and community purposes. Like other sources, the quality of well-water needs to be tested to safeguard its quality. Well-water may change over time and become susceptible to contamination and the changes can go undetected. Testing the water allows detection of problems, its suitability for use and consumption, monitoring of changes periodically, and estimation of the efficiency of treatment processes. Apart from the basic tests, well-water is also tested for fluoride levels.

Now that you are aware of how essential water testing is,

let’s have a look at how Prewel Labs can assist you with it.

Why choose Prewel Labs?

Our water testing lab is NABL accredited and its located in Bangalore. Whether it is monsoon season or any other time at Prewel Labs, we ensure that our water testing services comply with the ISO 9001:2015 standards, Bureau of Indian Standards, APHA and FSSAI standards. We provide water sampling and offer a wide range of water testing services for you to choose from:

pH
Turbidity
Odour
Temperature
Conductivity
DO
BOD
COD
Phosphate test
Nitrate test
Sulphate test
STP water testing
ETP water testing
Swimming pool water testing
Well water testing
Bore well water testing