WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE WATER COLLECTION

WATER SUPPLY
• Water supply means transportation of potable water from a water source after proper
treatment, to residential consumers, for use as drinking water, water for cooking, water for
sanitary conditions, and other water use in a domestic environment.
• Water supply also is essential for business and industry to operate in a municipal environment.
• Of no less importance is the need to supply water to properly located fire hydrants to provide
the public with an effective level of fire protection.
• Municipal water systems also may need to provide water for special services that include
street cleaning, the selling of water to contractors for erecting buildings, parks and recreation,
and miscellaneous uses.
• A water system has two primary requirements: First, it needs to deliver adequate amounts of
water to meet consumer consumption requirements plus needed fire flow requirements.
Second, the water system needs to be reliable; the required amount of water needs to be
available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Water sources need to be selected carefully to make sure that the fundamental requirement is
met. Two main factors that affect water supply selection are:

1) Quality of water: Water must be treated or purified to meet Regulatory Requirements

established by the relevant authority. The requirements are divided into 2 categories:
a) residential communities with populations not exceeding 3,000.
b) combined residential and commercial communities that have a population over 3,000.
2) Quantity of water: The quantity of water must be adequate to meet consumer consumption
and fire flow demands at any time of the day, day of week, and week of the year.
Maintaining a continuous or uninterrupted supply of water for municipal demands is a major
challenge to many municipalities because of the following conditions:
➢ droughts.
➢ growing demands that cannot be met by the treatment plant.
➢ lack of adequate storage capacity.
➢ other communities drawing water from the same supply sources such as a lake or a river.
➢ a major commercial fire or wild land/urban interface fire that exhausts the water supply.
➢ undetected underground leakage on the pipe distribution system.
A water supply system typically includes:
1. a drainage basin.
2. raw water collection point.
3. water purification unit.

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4. water storage facilities, i-e reservoirs.
5. a pumping unit.
6. a pipe network for distribution.

WASTE WATER COLLECTION:

• A system of sewer pipes (sewers) collects waste, used water and takes it for treatment or
disposal. The system of sewers is called waste water collection or sewerage system.
• Water that has been used for some purpose and contains different kinds of impurities is called
sewage.
• Sanitary sewer collection systems are responsible for collecting and conveying wastewater
that is generated at residential dwellings and commercial and industrial buildings to the
wastewater treatment plant for treatment.
• Where a main sewerage system has not been provided, sewage may be collected from
homes by pipes into septic tanks, where it may be treated or collected in vehicles and taken
for treatment or disposal.
Modern sewerage systems fall under two categories:
1. domestic and industrial sewers
2. storm sewers.

• Sometimes a combined system provides only one network of pipes, mains, and outfall sewers
for all types of sewage and runoff.
• The preferred system, however, provides one network of sewers for domestic and industrial
waste, which is generally treated before discharge, and a separate network for storm runoff,
which may be diverted to temporary detention basins or piped directly to a point of disposal
in a stream or river.
A waste water collection system or sewerage system typically includes:
1. House service connections.
2. Sewers.
3. Pump stations
4. Sewage treatment plants.
5. Safe disposal system of final effluent.

IMPORTANCE OF WATER SUPPLY AND WASTE WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM:

Air water and food are essential for human existence. These material are so important but can
cause severe problems if they are polluted. We need fresh water every day for different activities
i.e. drinking, bathing, washing etc. we also need water for different commercial purposes i.e. to
put out fire, buildings and manufacturing etc. A proper water supply system makes sure that the
water coming from the source is purified in all ways and it is safe for its intended use. Clean water

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is the best way to prevent the spread of the many diseases that can cause havoc in a closely
packed population of humans. Diseases such as typhoid, cholera etc. as well as diseases that are
caused by poor hygiene such as salmonella, e coli etc.
Once the water is used, we need to either dispose of or recycle the waste water in safe,
efficient ways to protect people and environment. Wastewater management and adequate
sewer systems play important roles in sanitation and disease prevention. Wastewater can
contaminate the local environment and drinking water supply, thereby increasing the risk of
disease transmission. Therefore, to improve health, it is vital to develop a system to manage
community wastewater and sewage.

WATER BORNE DISEASES:

The term water borne disease is used largely for infections that predominantly are transmitted
through contact with or consumption of infected water. Water borne diseases are caused by
pathogenic bacteria that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated water. The WHO
estimates that almost 70% of all diseases are spread through contaminated water. Some
common water borne diseases are:

• Typhoid
• Cholera
• Dengue
• Hepatitis
• Anemia
• Diarrhea
• Malaria etc.

Preventive measures:
• Proper management of water resources has become need of the hour as this would ultimately
lead to a cleaner and healthier environment.
• The city water supply should be properly checked and necessary steps should be taken to
disinfect it.
• Water supply pipes should be regularly checked for leakages and cracks.
• At home, water should be boiled, filtered or other steps should be taken to ensure that is free
from infection.
• Some of the techniques used for water treatment are screening, pH correction, coagulation,
sedimentation. Chlorination etc.

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 IMPURITIES IN WATER
• Water is the universal solvent and in nature, it is never totally pure. No matter how isolated it
is from sources of contamination, it will always have some chemicals.
• Gases or minerals in the air, soil, or rock are dissolved by the water. These dissolved materials
give water its characteristics like taste, color etc.
• These materials mixed water when consumed by human beings can cause various diseases.
• These dissolved materials in water are actually called impurities.
• About 70% of all the diseases caused to human beings are just because of these impurities.
• Some of the diseases caused by the impure water are malaria, cholera, diarrhea, lead
poisoning etc.
• Although water is nature’s most wonderful and abundant compound but only less than 1% of
the world’s water resources are available for ready use.
• Water is treated by various methods when it is required of any specific use. Hence it is required
to use it carefully and economically.

TYPES OF IMPURITIES
There are basically 4 types of impurities in water which are
1. Dissolved impurities
2. Suspended impurities
3. Living matter
4. Gases

1. DISSOLVED IMPURITIES:
Impurities that are soluble in water are called dissolved impurities. These impurities are
dissolved and can’t be removed by simple screening/filtration. These impurities are further
divided in two categories:
A. Inorganic Salts
B. Organic matter
A. INORGANIC SALTS:
i. Leaching of minerals and picking up of atmospheric CO2, leading to hardness and
alkalinity.
ii. Fertilizer run-off, mostly nitrate(NO3) and sulphates (SO4).
iii. Industrial discharges of all kinds, especially from metal trades.
iv. Salinity from sea water.

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 B. DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER:
i. Natural impurities from decay of vegetable and animal matter, leading to coloring
material and humid acids.
ii. Domestic waste: biological decay products.
iii. Industrial discharges from food production including fats, oils.
iv. Residues from pesticides and herbicides.
2. SUSPENDED IMPURITIES:
Impurities that aren’t soluble in water are called suspended impurities. They normally
cause turbidity. These impurities are mostly in solid form and are simply treated by
screening. These impurities are further divided in three categories:
A. Colloidal suspended impurities.
B. Inorganic impurities.
C. Organic impurities.
A. COLLOIDAL SUSPENDED IMPURITIES:
Colloids are termed as the small particles in water that can’t even be seen with optical
microscope. Their size ranges from 0.01 - 1 micron. These are present in water in the form
of:
i. Inorganic colloids such as clay, silts & iron oxides.
ii. Organic waste products (from vegetables & animals).
iii. Components of sewage solids.
B. INORGANIC SUSPENDED IMPURITIES:
The particles which aren’t produced from any vegetable/animal wastes. These impurities
include:
i. Natural materials like sands.
ii. Rust from weak pipes.
iii. Industrial wastage from coal washings, mining waste, flue washings etc.

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 C. ORGANIC SUSPENDED IMPURITIES:
The particles which are mainly formed by decay of vegetable and dead animals. These
impurities include:
i. Plants and animal particles.
ii. Industrial and domestic wastes like fats, oils, solvents, sewage solid wastes etc.
3. LIVING MATTER:
Biological contamination of water is caused by the presence of living organisms in it. Mostly
organisms use water as their breeding place. The health effects of using water contaminated
with living things may be severe but can easily be cured with modern day medicine. Living
things are categorized in two groups;
A. Micro Organisms
B. Macro Organisms
A. MICRO ORGANISMS:
Contamination of water from microorganisms is caused by the presence of algae, bacteria,
protozoa, pathogens, microbes, viruses, parasites and their eggs (cysts), etc. known
collectively known as microorganisms. Water tanks can sometimes be a breeding ground
for microbes in water.
The two most common microorganisms to contaminate water sources are Giardia and
Cryptosporidiosis. Chemical treatments are typically less effective against these than boiling
or filters.
B. MACRO ORGANISMS:
These are the living things which normally can’t live outside of the water. As they spend life
in water, they eventually pollute it. These macro organisms are generally found in rivers
and seas from which usage of water for human’s use is very rare.
These macro organisms present in the water include;
i. Fish, worms, insect larvae, water lice etc. they breed in large numbers where food is
plentiful
ii. Aquatic plants, floating and rooted.

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4. GASES:
Gases also effect the water’s purity. These impurities occur naturally in the water and it is
very difficult to effectively reduce the levels of these solutions within contained water.
The major gases targeting the purity of water are oxygen(O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). O2
and CO2 occur in all natural waters and they cause mostly because of corrosion in the
pipelines.
Some underground sources of water also contain H2S. NH3 can also result from biological
decay and industrial discharge.

REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM WATER:

1. REMOVING SOLUBLE IMPURITIES FROM WATER:

A. EVAPORATION: It is the process of turning Water into vapors.

B. DISTILLATION: The process of purifying water by heating and cooling.

2. REMOVING INSOLUBLE IMPURITIES FROM WATER

A. SEDIMENTATION: The process of settling or being deposited as a sediment.

B. DECANTATION: It is the process for the separation of mixtures, by removing a layer of liquid,
generally one from which a precipitate has settled.
C. FILTRATION: The process of removing something unwanted from a liquid by using a filter.

3. PURIFYING DRINKING WATER: After removing soluble and insoluble impurities, drinking water is
purified by two process i.e. ‘Boiling’ and ‘Chlorination.

WHO STANDARDS FOR WATER:

Due to alarming increase in population and rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is
being deteriorated day by day in Pakistan. About 20% of the whole population of Pakistan
has access to safe drinking water. The remaining 80% of population is forced to use unsafe
drinking water due to the scarcity of safe and healthy drinking water sources. The primary
source of contamination is sewerage (fecal) which is extensively discharged into drinking
water system supplies. Secondary source of pollution is the disposal of toxic chemicals from
industrial effluents, pesticides, and fertilizers from agriculture sources into the water bodies.
Anthropogenic activities cause waterborne diseases that constitute about 80% of all diseases
and are responsible for 33% of deaths.
The physical, biological, and chemical properties of drinking water have great importance
because a minor fluctuation in these parameters affects the human health. The pH is crucial
factor that greatly affects water quality and quantity of pollution in water bodies. However,

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 pH of drinking water has no direct effect on human. Indirectly it changes meat solubility and
provides suitable environment for pathogens. The defined standards of drinking water
quality are shown in Table below;

STANDARD VALUES FOR

PARAMETERS WHO STANDARDS
PAKISTAN

All water intended for
drinking (E. coli or
thermotolerant coliform
bacteria)
Treated water entering the
distribution system (E. coli or
thermotolerant coliform and
total coliform bacteria)
Treated water in the
distribution system (E. coli or
thermotolerant coliform and
total coliform bacteria)
BIOLOGICAL
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
In case of large supplies, where
sufficient samples are examined,
it must not be present in 95% of
the samples taken throughout
any 12-month period
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
Must not be detectable in any
100 mL sample
In case of large supplies, where
sufficient samples are examined,
it must not be present in 95% of
the samples taken throughout
any 12-month period

PHYSICAL
Color ≤15 TCU ≤15 TCU
Taste None None
Odor None None
Turbidity <5 NTU <5 NTU
Total hardness as CaCO3 <500 mg/L —
TDS <1000 <1000
pH 6.5–8.5 6.5–8.5

CHEMICAL
Essential inorganic mg/L mg/L
Aluminum (Al) mg/L ≤0.2 0.2

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 Antimony (Sb) ≤0.005 (P) 0.02
Arsenic (As) ≤0.05 (P) 0.01
Barium (Ba) 0.7 0.7
Boron (B) 0.3 0.3
Cadmium (Cd) 0.01 0.003
Chloride (Cl) <250 250
Chromium (Cr) ≤0.05 0.05
Copper (Cu) 2 2
Toxic inorganic mg/L mg/L
Cyanide (CN) ≤0.05 0.07
Fluoride (F)* ≤1.5 1.5
Lead (Pb) ≤0.05 0.01
Manganese (Mn) ≤0.5 0.5
Mercury (Hg) ≤0.001 0.001
Nickel (Ni) ≤0.02 0.02
Nitrate (NO3)* ≤50 50
Nitrite (NO2)* ≤3 (P) 3
Selenium (Se) 0.01 (P) 0.01
Residual chlorine 0.2–0.5 at consumer end, 0.5– —
1.5 at source
Zinc (Zn) 5.0 3

ORGANIC
Phenolic compounds   ≤0.002
(phenols) mg/L
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons   0.01 (by GC/MS method)
(PAH) g/L

*indicates priority health related inorganic constituents which need regular monitoring .