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

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Water quality studies of Lake Nainital and surroundings – A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The report provides an account of the findings of water quality studies of Lake Nainital and surroundings. Posted on 08 Jul, 2010 09:57 PM

The report provides an account of the findings of water quality studies of Lake Nainital and surroundings. Even though quite a few water quality investigations have been conducted by other researchers, they were more focused on biological aspects and overlooked the hydrological aspects. Further, not all of the earlier studies on Nainital incorporated the groundwater quality aspects, which are essential to establish the background values that can be ascribed to the geology of the region. Only after establishing these, the pollution levels can be assessed.

Water quality monitoring and evaluation of Mansar lake - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The study attempts water quality monitoring of Mansar lake to detect the various water quality parameters. Posted on 30 Jun, 2010 07:56 PM

The study attempts water quality monitoring of Mansar lake to detect the various water quality parameters. The lake water conditions were monitored by collecting water samples from different depths to determine the spatial and temporal variations.

Water quality study of the Mansar lake of Udhampur - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The report deals with the findings of a water quality study of Mansar lake in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. Posted on 29 Jun, 2010 07:30 PM

The report deals with the findings of a water quality study of Mansar lake in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The water samples from different locations at the surface and from three zones (viz, epilimnion, metalimnion and hypolimnion) were collected and physico-analysis carried out.

Groundwater quality studies in Jammu and Kathua districts (Jammu and Kashmir) – A research report by the National Institute of Hydrology
The study presents detailed investigations of the chemical quality of groundwater in Jammu and Kathua districts ,J & K, carried out to evaluate the suitability of water for various uses. Posted on 28 Jun, 2010 11:55 AM

The study presents detailed investigations of the chemical quality of groundwater in Jammu and Kathua districts (J & K), carried out to evaluate the suitability of water for various uses. The quality of groundwater of the area has been studied based on the physico-chemical analysis of thirty seven water samples collected from open wells between June and December, 1996.

Various parameters like pH, conductance, alkalinity, hardness, chloride, sulphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium have been determined for all the samples and compared with the standards to evaluate its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes.

Irrigation water quality has been computed on the basis of Doneen’s Permeability Index and residual Sodium Carbonate. The higher values of some parameters at certain locations indicate the contamination in groundwater and make the water unsuitable for specific applications.

Assessment of probability distribution of Dissolved Oxygen - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The report presents a methodology to assess the probability distribution of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) based on the Streeter-Phelp’s equation. Posted on 27 Jun, 2010 07:33 AM

The report presents a methodology to assess the probability distribution of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) based on the Streeter-Phelp’s equation. The methodology involves the use of first order analysis and Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the uncertainty associated with DO. The mean and standard deviation of the parameters have been assumed as same for the study’s probability distributions.

Hydrological problems of hard rock regions: A state of art report by the National Institute of Hydrology
The study presents a status report on hydrological problems of hard rock areas related to hydrological network design, groundwater quality, failure of open and borewells. Posted on 25 Jun, 2010 07:32 PM

The study presents a status report on hydrological problems of hard rock areas related to hydrological network design, groundwater quality, failure of open and borewells, regional flood formulae, groundwater balance studies, reservoir sedimentation, hydrological aspects of droughts, forest hydrology and drainage problems of black soil of the hard rock terrain.

Groundwater quality monitoring and evaluation in Jammu and Kathua districts (Jammu & Kashmir) - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The study evaluates groundwater on the basis of widely used graphical methods like Piper, Stiff and US Salinity Laboratory classification. Posted on 23 Jun, 2010 11:55 PM

The study evaluates groundwater on the basis of widely used graphical methods like Piper, Stiff and US Salinity Laboratory classification. The study concludes that, in general, the groundwater in the area varies from medium salinity to very high salinity, the latter being more common in the irrigated stretches. The irrigators are advised to ensure good land and water management practices in the fields, with particular emphasis on creating favorable leaching and drainage conditions to avoid further development of saline conditions in the area. 

Spatial variability of groundwater quality in Jammu district - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
The study applies geostatistical techniques to the groundwater quality data of December 1994 in parts of Jammu district. Posted on 23 Jun, 2010 10:58 PM

The study applies geostatistical techniques to the groundwater quality data of December 1994 in parts of Jammu district. Groundwater quality deterioration has led to considerable interest in the design of investigative studies and monitoring programs on the issue.

Various management measures need to take into account the spatial and temporal behavior of groundwater. The spatial dependence between observations can be expressed by semi variance, which is a measure of the average similarity between observations at a given distance apart. One of the prime reasons for obtaining a semivariogram is to use it for estimation of the variable at unsampled locations.

Hydrochemical studies of Hindon river, UP - A research report by National Institute of Hydrology
A detailed survey of the river Hindon in Uttar Pradesh, was carried out to understand the nature of waste effluents and their impact on water quality. Posted on 23 Jun, 2010 07:49 PM

A detailed survey of the river Hindon was carried out to understand the nature of waste effluents and their impact on water quality.  As per the study, the river water is subject to varying degrees of pollution, caused by numerous untreated waste outfalls of municipal and industrial effluents.

The main sources, which create pollution in the river, include municipal wastes of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad districts received through tributaries as well as direct outfalls. In the non-monsoon months, the river is completely dry, right from its origin upto Saharanpur town. The effluents of Nagdev nala and Star Paper Mill at Saharanpur generate the flow of water in the river.

Status report of saltwater intrusion and groundwater management studies in coastal and deltaic regions – A research report by the National Institute of Hydrology
The report presents a review on the status of research related to saltwater intrusion and groundwater management in coastal and deltaic environments in the east coast of South India. Posted on 21 Jun, 2010 04:50 PM

The report presents a literature review on the status of research related to saltwater intrusion and groundwater management in coastal and deltaic environments in the east coast of South India. The area is typically characterized by highly productive and alluvial aquifers and high use of both surface as well as groundwater. Seawater intrusion into the freshwater aquifers is extensive due to increased pumpages.

A quantitative understanding of the patterns of movement and mixing between freshwater and saline water and the factors that influence these processes is stressed in the report. It presents the mechanics of saltwater intrusion through studies by Ghyben and Herzberg and later on by Hubbert. A comprehensive review of studies by Reilly and Goodman relating to saltwater intrusion is discussed. Later advances in understanding saltwater-freshwater relationship through numerical models like sharp interface model and miscible flow model are described.

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