SUBJECT -: ENVIRONMENT ENGINEERING – I (WATER SUPPLYING)

END TERM PAPER -:

“WATER TREATEMENT AND
SUPPLYING”

 SUBMITTED BY -:
KUMAR

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TREATEMENT OF WATER BEFORE SUPPLYING

 INTRODUCTION-:
Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate
for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river
flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to
the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components or
reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This
treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and
irrigation use.
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological
contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water fit for
specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for human consumption (drinking
water), but water purification may also be carried out for a variety of other purposes,
including medical, pharmacological, chemical, and industrial applications. Water
purification may reduce the concentration of particulate matter including suspended
particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, and fungi as well as reduce the concentration of a
range of dissolved and particulate matter.
Simple procedures such as boiling, or the use of a household activated carbon filter are not
sufficient for treating all possible contaminants that may be present in water from an
unknown source. Even natural spring water – considered safe for all practical purposes in the
19th century – must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is
needed.

According to a 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) report, 1.1 billion people lack
access to an improved drinking water supply; 88% of the 4 billion annual cases of diarrheal
disease are attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene, while 1.8
million people die from diarrheal disease each year. The WHO estimates that 94% of these
diarrheal disease cases are preventable through modifications to the environment, including
access to safe water.

 SOURCES OF WATER FOR SUPPLY-:

1) Groundwater: The water emerging from some deep ground water may have fallen as
rain many tens, hundreds, or thousands of
years ago. Soil and rock layers naturally filter
the ground water to a high degree of clarity
and often, it does not require additional
treatment besides adding chlorine or
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 chloramines as secondary disinfectants. Such water may emerge as springs, artesian
springs, or may be extracted from boreholes or wells.
2) Upland lakes and reservoirs: Typically located in the headwaters of river systems,
upland reservoirs are usually sited above any human
habitation and may be surrounded by a protective zone
to restrict the opportunities for contamination.
3) Rivers, canals and low land reservoirs: Low land
surface waters.
4) Atmospheric water generation is a new technology
that can provide high quality drinking water by extracting water from the air by cooling
the air and thus condensing water vapour.
5) Rainwater harvesting or fog collection which collect water from the atmosphere can be
used especially in areas with significant dry seasons and in areas which experience fog
even when there is little rain.

6) Surface water: Freshwater bodies that are open to the atmosphere and are not designated
as groundwater are termed surface waters.

 WATER TRREATEMENT PROCESSES-:

GOAL-: The goals of the treatment are to remove unwanted constituents in the water
and to make it safe to drink or fit for a specific purpose in industry or medical applications.
Widely varied techniques are available to remove contaminants like fine solids, micro-
organisms and some dissolved inorganic and organic materials, or environmental persistent
pharmaceutical pollutants. The choice of method will depend on the quality of the water
being treated, the cost of the treatment process and the quality standards expected of the
processed water.
 Treatment for drinking water production involves the removal of contaminants from
raw water to produce water that is pure enough for human consumption without any
short term or long-term risk of any adverse health effect.
 In general terms, the greatest microbial risks are associated with ingestion of water
that is contaminated with human or animal (including bird) faeces.
 Water supplied to domestic properties, for tap water or other uses, may be further
treated before use, often using an in-line treatment process. Such treatments can
include water softening or ion exchange. Many proprietary systems also claim to
remove residual disinfectants and heavy metal ions.

 DRINKING WATER TREATEMENT-:

Drinking water sources are subject to contamination and require appropriate treatment to
remove disease-causing agents. Public drinking water systems use various methods of water
treatment to provide safe drinking water for their communities. Today, the most common
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steps in water treatment used by water systems (mainly surface water treatment)
include:
 PRETREATEMENT-:
 Pumping and containment – The majority of water must be pumped from its source
or directed into pipes or holding tanks. To avoid adding contaminants to the water, this
physical infrastructure must be made from appropriate materials and constructed so
that accidental contamination does not occur.
 Screening (see also screen filter) – The first step in purifying surface water is to
remove large debris such as sticks, leaves, rubbish and other large particles which may
interfere with subsequent purification steps. Most deep groundwater does not need
screening before other purification steps.

 Storage – Water from rivers may also be stored in bankside reservoirs for periods
between a few days and many months to allow natural biological purification to take
place. Storage reservoirs also provide a buffer against short periods of drought or to
allow water supply to be maintained.
 Pre-chlorination – In many plants the incoming water was chlorinated to minimize
the growth of fouling organisms on the pipework and tanks.

 COAGULATION AND FLOCCULATION-:

 Coagulation and flocculation are often the first steps in water treatment.
 Chemicals with a positive charge are added to the water.
 The positive charge of these chemicals neutralizes the negative charge of dirt and
other dissolved particles in the water.
 When this occurs, the particles bind with the chemicals and form larger particles,
called floc.
 Flocculation, a gentle mixing stage, increases the particle size from sub microscopic
micro floc to visible suspended particles.
 Floc size continues to build with additional collisions and
 Once floc has reached it optimum size and strength, water is ready for sedimentation.

SEDEMENTATION-:
 Waters exiting the flocculation basin may enter the sedimentation basin, also called a
clarifier or settling basin.
 It is a large tank with low water velocities, allowing floc to settle to the bottom.
 Waters exiting the flocculation basin may enter the
sedimentation basin, also called a clarifier or settling
basin. It is a large tank with low water velocities,
allowing floc to settle to the bottom.

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  Typical detention times for sedimentation vary from 1.5 to 4 hours and basin depths
vary from 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters)

 FILTRATION-:
Once the floc has settled to the bottom of the water supply, the
clear water on top will pass through filters of varying compositions (sand, gravel,
and charcoal) and pore sizes, in order to remove dissolved particles, such as dust,
parasites, bacteria, viruses, and chemicals.

 DISINFECTION-:
 After the water has been filtered, a disinfectant (for example, chlorine, chloramine)
may be added in order to kill any remaining parasites, bacteria, and viruses, and to
protect the water from germs when it is piped to homes and businesses.
 After the introduction of any chemical disinfecting agent, the water is usually held in
temporary storage – often called a contact tank or clear well – to allow the disinfecting
action to complete.
 Some disinfections used are
a. Chlorine disinfection
b. Chlorine dioxide disinfection.
c. Chloramination.
d. Ozone disinfection.
e. Ultraviolet disinfection.
f. Ionizing radiation.
g. Bromination and iodinization

 INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATEMENT-:

 An industrial water treatment system treats water, so it is more appropriate for a given
use, whether for consumption, manufacturing, or even disposal. That said, each system
will vary depending on the facility’s needs and many of the technologies that make up
these systems can be similar. In general, some of the most-needed industrial water
treatment systems typically include:

a) Raw water treatment systems

b) Boiler feed water treatment systems
c) Cooling tower water treatment systems
d) Wastewater treatment systems.
a) RAW WATER TREATEMENT SYSTEM-:

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 Raw water is any untreated water that occurs naturally in the environment, including
sources such as rainwater, groundwater, wells, lakes, and rivers. In industrial settings,
raw water may be used for cooling, rinsing, product formulations, or even human
consumption if it is properly purified.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS:
i) Raw water is drawn into a plant through gravity and/or pumps. The water is usually
passed through a metal grate or mesh screen to prevent large objects from entering
the system.
ii) The water then continues for clarification, which is a multistep process used to
remove suspended solids from a solution.
iii) Clarification begins with coagulation, followed by flocculation ,Then comes a
sedimentation step, where the stream flows to a gravity settler that allows solids to
settle to the bottom in what is known as a sludge blanket.
iv) Finally, the stream is filtered through a gravity sand filter to trap any small
particles that did not settle out.
v) If biological contamination and/or water potability is a concern, the water may
then be disinfected to remove any pathogens. Following treatment, the water is
pumped or otherwise routed for use elsewhere in the facility.
b) BOILER WATER TREATEMENT -:
 Boiler water treatment is a type of industrial water treatment focused on removal or
chemical modification of substances potentially damaging to the boiler.
 Varying types of treatment are used at different locations to avoid scale, corrosion, or
foaming.
 External treatment of raw water supplies intended for use within a boiler is focused on
removal of impurities before they reach the boiler.
 Internal treatment within the boiler is focused on limiting the tendency of water to
dissolve the boiler and maintaining impurities in forms least likely to cause trouble
before they can be removed from the boiler in boiler blowdown.
c) COOLING WATER TREATEMENT-:
 Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial
equipment. Water may be a more efficient heat transfer fluid where air cooling is
ineffective.
 Chemical additives to reduce these disadvantages may introduce toxicity to
wastewater.
 Water cooling is commonly used for cooling automobile internal combustion engines
and large industrial facilities such as nuclear and steam electric power plants.
 Disadvantages of water-cooling systems include accelerated corrosion and
maintenance requirements to prevent heat transfer reductions from biofouling or scale
formation.

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  TECHNOLOGIES-:

 CHEMICAL TREATMENT-: Chemical treatments are techniques adopted to make

industrial water suitable for use or discharge. These include chemical precipitation,
chemical disinfection, chemical oxidation, advanced oxidation, ion exchange, and
chemical neutralization.

 BIOLOGICAL TREATEMENT-: Slow sand filters use a biological process to

purify raw water to produce potable water.
 They work by using a complex biological film that grows naturally on the surface of
sand. The surface purifies the water as it flows through the layer, the underlying sand
provides a support medium for the biological treatment layer.

 PHYSICO CHEMICAL TREATEMENT-: purifies the water as it flows through

the layer, the underlying sand provides a support medium for the biological treatment
layer.
SOME OTHER WATER PURIFICATION TECHNIQUES
Boiling - Bringing water to its boiling point (about 100 °C or 212 F at sea level), is the
oldest and most effective way since it eliminates most microbes causing intestine related
diseases.
Distillation - Distillation involves boiling the water to produce water vapour. The
vapour contacts a cool surface where it condenses as a liquid.
Reverse osmosis- Mechanical pressure is applied to an impure solution to force pure
water through a semi-permeable membrane. Reverse osmosis is theoretically the most
thorough method of large-scale water purification available, although perfect semi-
permeable membranes are difficult to create.

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 DRINKING WATER STANDARD (ACC. TO BIS) -:

WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENT FOR DIFFERENT USES-:

 WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN INDIA-:

 WATER SUPPLY AND ACCESS IN INDIA -:

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 The water supply and sanitation in India has increased greatly from 1980 to present.
 Still, many people lack access to clean water, toilets, and sewage infrastructure.
 Various government programs at national, state, and community level have brought
rapid improvements in sanitation and the drinking water supply. These various
programs are ongoing.
 The share of Indians with access to improved sources of water has increased
significantly from 72% in 1990 to 88% in 2008.
 In 2015, 88% of the total population had access to at least basic water, or 96% in
urban areas and 85% in rural areas.

 WATER SUPPLY CONTINUITY IN INDIA-:

 CHALLENGES-:
a. As of 2010, only two cities in India — Thiruvananthapuram and Kota — get
continuous water supply.
b. In 2005 none of the 35 Indian cities with a population of more than one million
distributed water for more than a few hours per day, despite generally sufficient
infrastructure.
c. The longest duration of supply was 12 hours per day in Chandigarh, and the lowest
was 0.3 hours per day in Rajkot.
 ACHIEVEMENTS-:
a) Jamshedpur, a city in Jharkhand with 573,000 inhabitants, provided 25% of its
residents with continuous water supply in 2009.
b) Navi Mumbai, a planned city with more than 1m inhabitants, has achieved continuous
supply for about half its population as of January 2009.
c) Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala state with a population of 1,645,000 in 2011, is the
largest Indian city and the only Million agglomeration that enjoys uninterrupted
hygienic water supply.

 ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH IMPACT-:

a) As of 2003, it was estimated that only 27% of India's wastewater was being treated,
with the remainder flowing into rivers, canals, groundwater or the sea. For example,
the sacred Ganges river is infested with diseases and in some places "the Ganges
becomes black and septic.
b) In 2008, NewsWeek described Delhi's sacred Yamuna River as "a putrid ribbon of
black sludge" where the concentration of fecal bacteria is 10,000 times the
recommended safe maximum despite a 15-year program to address the problem.

 DECLINE IN WATER RESOURCES-:

a) Water scarcity in India is an ongoing water crisis in India that affects nearly 600
million people each year.

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b) India has only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources despite a population of over 1.3
billion people.
c) Depleting ground water table and deteriorating ground water quality are threatening
the sustainability of both urban and rural water supply in many parts of India.
d) The supply of cities that depend on surface water is threatened by pollution, increasing
water scarcity and conflicts among users.
e) According to a report by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI
Aayog), at least 21 major Indian cities, including the capital New Delhi will
completely run out of groundwater by 2020. The report also noted that approximately
200,000 people die in India each year due to the lack of access to safe drinking water.
f) The effects of climate change on the monsoon seasons is one of the important reasons
for decrease in rainfall and water shortage in India.
g) Due to the lack of a long-term water management plan, many of the country’s rivers
either run dry or have been polluted. Although one of the most important river in
India, Ganga is also the one that is most severely polluted.
h) India is the world’s biggest groundwater user, extracting 251 bcm (billion cubic metre,
equivalent to 1 cubic kilometre) of groundwater in 2010, compared to 112 bcm of
groundwater extracted by the United States.
 INITIVATIVES TO FACE THE PROBLEM OF WATER SUPPLY-:

 GOVERNMENT EFFORTS-:
a) The Government of India has reformed several of its departments and initiated several
water supply projects in the last 3 years to respond to the country’s growing water
needs.
b) The reforms include the establishment of a new ministry for water known as the Jal
Shakti Ministry. The government also launched several projects in the main rivers and
underground water sources.
c) In June 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new plan, “Piped
Water for All by 2024” in order to integrate different water resources management
departments together to take charge of the ground and surface water depletion.
Demand-driven approaches in rural water supply-:
a) Most rural water supply schemes in India use a centralised, supply-driven approach,
i.e. a government institution designs a project and has it built with little community
consultation and no capacity building for the community, often requiring no water fees
to be paid for its subsequent operation.
b) As of 2008 only about 10% of rural water schemes built in India used a demand-
driven approach.

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