Summer temperatures and water-borne diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, cholera and gastroenteritis go hand

in hand. So besides maintaining good hygiene, it is also important to monitor and maintain the quality of
drinking water to prevent these diseases.
Drinking water sources
The source of drinking water supply at home is either surface water or groundwater. Unfortunately, most of
these sources are not safe for drinking without proper treatment due to the presence of microbial and chemical
pollutants. Toxic chemicals and harmful bacteria pollute water sources, thereby causing sickness and also
exposing us to long-term health consequences such as liver and kidney damage.
The Water Works Departments in cities treats the water before supplying it but the water comes in contact with
pathogens and certain chemicals during the transportation process through the distribution network. This
means that the water needs to be tested and treated at the point of use as well. For testing the water, simple
low-cost kits are available in the market and for treating the water, various water filters are also available.
Water benefits health 
Drinking the right amount of the right type of water improves every function in the body and even slows down
the aging process. It is said that our body can absorb up to 30% of essential elements from the water that we
drink. So it is very important for our long term health that we drink that water which is not devoid of at least
the essential elements like calcium and magnesium.
If your health is a top priority and you don’t want to be drinking de-mineralized water, invest in a water filter
that best suits your needs. The aim should be to minimize microbial and chemical load in water. 
What you can do
Testing the water on a fortnightly basis will tell you the level of different components including the presence
of bacteria in water. If these components are within the permissible limits set by the Bureau of Indian
Standards, then for your own satisfaction you can make use of a simple water purifier like a candle filter or a
silver nano technology based filter.
Simpler and low cost technologies might work better for majority of the people in India. RO water should be
consumed only when you do not have an alternative, for example when you are travelling or when you visit a
new place and you are not sure about the water quality.
Home grown solutions
It has been found that a handful of tulsi leaves can decontaminate about 20 litres of water. The solar water
disinfection method (SODIS) is also a simple procedure to disinfect drinking water. Contaminated water is
filled in a transparent PET-bottle or glass bottle and exposed to the sun for 6 hours. During this time, the UV-
radiation of the sun kills the pathogens in the water.
These renewed water treatment options could provide India’s poorest people an opportunity to remove
contaminants from their drinking water without any side effects. Whether it is tulsi, tomato peels, bio-sand
filter or copper water purifier, more research is needed to identify and validate their effectiveness and to
popularize them.
Future strategy
Some water filter manufacturing companies are distributing their RO filters in rural areas under their CSR
initiative to provide safe drinking water. Are they really concerned about the health of the people in the long
run or is it only their marketing strategy?
What is needed is a water filter which can decide what to remove and what to retain in water, depending upon
the situation and the components of the water in a particular area. Companies should invest in research,
manufacturing and marketing of safe and cost-effective products.
However, till such products are available, there is no need to panic. Just conserve water, be informed and stay
healthy!
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/how-safe-your-drinking-water

An exciting and new water treatment breakthrough has been announced that will now make the
removal of fluoride from the drinking water supplies of the world’s poorest people more affordable
than ever.

Researchers from Rajasthan University in India have discovered that the Tulsi plant, also known as
Holy Basil, can be used to significantly reduce the amount of fluoride in drinking

water. 
At present, the most reliable methods used to remove excessive fluoride from drinking water are
either too expensive or not suitable for the environments where they are needed most.

The method discovered by researchers from Rajasthan University is safe, cheap and readily
available, making it an ideal alternative for communities who can’t afford to use the more advanced
techniques of removing fluoride that are readily available in the West.

An experiment was conducted in the Yellareddyguda village of Narketpally Mandal. The researchers
soaked 75mg of Tulsi leaves in 100ml of water that contained 7.4 parts per million of fluoride in the
water.

After only soaking the Tulsi leaves for eight hours, it was discovered that the level of fluoride in the
water was reduced from 7.4 parts per million, to only 1.1 parts per million.

At present, the World Health Organization recommends that the safe level of fluoride in drinking
water is between 0.5 to 1 parts per million.

The dangers of drinking water that contains high levels of fluoride are well known. Some of the
known side effects of drinking water that contains fluoride are dental fluorosis, reduced intelligence
in children and a damaged nervous system.

This new water treatment option could now provide the world’s poorest people an opportunity to
remove excessive fluoride from their drinking water supplies.
However, more research is still needed to identify and validate the effectiveness of using Tulasi
leaves as a means of removing fluoride from drinking water supplies.

Considering the cost-prohibitive nature of other more reliable water treatment techniques, if the Tulsi
plant is conclusively proven to be effective in removing fluoride from drinking water, then we may
witness a revolution in water treatment, providing options to areas where none currently exist.

http://blogs.washplus.org/drinkingwaterupdates/2013/05/researchers-discover-that-the-tulsi-plant-
can-be-used-to-remove-fluoride-from-drinking-water/index.html