Quality, Standards and Testing

Water needed for human consumption, industrial purposes or other requirements must cater to certain minimum standards. The quality of any water is defined by its physical and chemical properties (characteristics). Physical properties include its appearance (colour, clarity and odour, perhaps also its taste) while the chemical properties refer to the constituents dissolved in it. Some of the physical properties are measurable and can be expressed in units of measurement while others like appearance, odour or taste are clearly subjective. However, all the chemical constituents can be measured accurately.

Drinking water must meet certain quality standards to safeguard the health of the people. The permissible and desirable limits of various parameters in drinking water have been detailed as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) standard specifications for potable water. These parameters are included in BIS-10500-1991. The various parameters covered include colour, odour, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, elemental compounds such as iron, manganese, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, arsenic, chromium, copper, cyanide, lead, mercury, zinc and coliform bacteria. The tolerance limits for inland surface waters for various classes of water use have been published by the Central Water Commission. Per ISI-IS: 2296-1982, the tolerance limits of parameters are specified as per classified use of water depending on various uses of water ranging from Class A to Class E.

What does the water that one drinks contain, what substances are dissolved in it and what are their safe limits? What are the issues that affect water quality? For more detailed information on all this, please read our FAQs on Rules, Regulations & Standards concerning water and Equipments used to measure water quality and quantity

Featured Articles
July 8, 2022 Indian rivers are experiencing rising temperatures, which can lower the oxygen carrying capacity of their waters and spell doom for living organisms, small and large living in the waters.
The Karamana river in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala (Image Source: India Water Portal)
June 22, 2021 Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates in drinking water: A health challenge
Water treatment facilities are incapable of removing many chemical compounds and need to be upgraded (Image: PxHere)
December 2, 2019 Water stewardship is an approach predicated on the concept that water is a shared resource and so water risks are also shared risks that everyone in a catchment will face
Picture credit: Romit Sen
November 21, 2019 A report by NIUA brings to light the chinks in Jaipur's sewage system and suggests some solutions.
Routine check done by the sewage treatment plant staff in Delawas, Jaipur. The plant is part of the ADB best practices projects list. (Image: Asian Development Bank, Flickr Commons)
Covid-19 threatens to worsen India's water crisis
Regulations for water use, innovation for treating antimicrobial resistance and monitoring of infected plastic leakage needs to be prioritised to curtail the water crisis. Posted on 24 May, 2020 12:50 AM

While the world has got a reprieve from pollution with emerging wildlife, cleaner air and clearer water bodies during lockdown, Covid-19 might actually be worsening the present water crisis in an inconspicuous manner. The world is still developing more clarity on safeguards that can prevent transmission, treatment and post treatment complications.

Marine litter. Plastic bottles on a beach. (Image: Bo Eide, Flickr Commons; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Webinar series by India-UK Water Centre
IUKWC is hosting a brand new series of webinars, brought to you by members of our Open Network of water scientists.
Posted on 22 May, 2020 02:12 PM

Each webinar will be approximately 1 hour in length and will focus on a range of topics.

To register, please click here.

Webinar 1:

Developing an effective participatory groundwater monitoring program at village level
Issues in groundwater management and recharge have been dealt with in a series of booklets as a part of the MARVI project. Posted on 16 May, 2020 03:52 PM

The ‘Managing Aquifer Recharge and Sustaining Groundwater Use through Village-level Intervention’ (MARVI) project is being undertaken since February 2012 with the overall aim to improve the security of irrigation water supplies and enhance livelihood opportunities for rural communities in India.

One of the Bhujal Jankaars measuring groundwater levels manually (Image: Basant Maheshwari)
WASH warriors, in the making!
In addition to improving WASH facilities, changing WASH behaviour at a young age can go a long way in coping with infectious diseases like Covid-19 in the future! Posted on 15 May, 2020 03:17 PM

Citizens Association for Child Rights (CACR) works with municipal schools in Mumbai with a focus on WASH and menstrual hygiene management and even a digital literacy programme.

WASH warriors, in the making! (Image Source: CACR)
Water levels in major reservoirs maximum in last 13 years: CWC
News this week Posted on 13 May, 2020 02:39 PM

Water storage level 76 percent more than last year: CWC

Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Jharkhand launches scheme to revive rural economy
Policy matters this week Posted on 13 May, 2020 02:32 PM

Jharkhand government launches three schemes to revive rural economy under the MGNREGA

Jharkhand launches scheme to revive rural economy. Image for representation only. (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Will access to piped water ensure safe water in India?
A study from Maharashtra found that piped water supply did not ensure access to safe water. Intermittent water supply and poor sanitation triggered water contamination and antibiotic resistance. Posted on 09 May, 2020 02:35 PM

While Covid-19 has brought forth the need for better access to water for WASH practices to the forefront, how India plans to bring water at the doorstep through the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) continues to be a challenge. This is especially in the context of not only access but also quality of the available water.

Safe drinking water, a major challenges for India (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
IMD revises the onset and withdrawal dates for monsoon
News this week Posted on 04 May, 2020 02:51 PM

IMD revises monsoon calendar for the country

Image used for representational purposes only (Image Source: India Water Portal on Flickr)
Providing safe drinking water, in difficult times!
How does Piramal Sarvajal plan to deal with the water crisis in the country? Posted on 24 Apr, 2020 03:36 PM

Piramal Sarvajal, seeded by the Piramal Foundation in 2008, is a mission driven social enterprise which designs and deploys innovative solutions for creating affordable access to safe drinking water in underserved areas.

Safe drinking water, in difficult times (Image Source: PIramal Sarvajal)
Gearing to overcome water quality woes
A workshop highlights the need to give a boost to affordable household water treatment and storage technologies. Posted on 21 Apr, 2020 05:22 PM

India has the most people in the world without access to safe drinking water (133.9 million). Many studies indicate that poor and marginalized populations are the worst affected from waterborne diseases resulting from the consumption of contaminated water.

HWTS solutions are best suited for villages (Image: WaterAid)
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