India’s water health: region-wise water quality assessment of treated and untreated water

Safe drinking water is one of the basic necessities of life. In the era of globalization and rapid industrialization, availability of good-quality drinking water is the growing concern all over the globe. Water quality in India is deteriorating day by day. Around 37.7 million people in India are affected by consuming water which is not meeting potable water standards as given by DRINKING WATER—SPECIFICATION Indian Standard (IS): 10500-2012. Consumption of contaminated water drastically impacts human health and affects the economic strata and the ecosystem to a larger extent. Thus, this scenario generates an urgent requirement for the proper assessment of water quality in India. The aim of the assessment is to determine region-wise important parameters to be focused for water treatment. In view of assessment of potable water sources in India, an extensive study was carried out which evaluated the physical, chemical, and biological parameters of water samples, collected from different cities of India. The measured values of these parameters were compared with IS: 10500-2012. Large variations in physicochemical and bio-chemical water quality were noticed in different cities of India. Out of 171 water samples collected, none of the water samples were found to be potable according to IS: 10500-2012. It can be concluded that there is an urgent need for adopting a suitable water treatment strategy depending upon the analysis. Authors also suggest for periodic assessment of water quality of the available sources and review treatment strategy, thus assisting in maintaining the health of society.