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TREATMENT OF TOWN WATER SUPPLY

The treatment procedures of Town water is very essential in the purification of large quantitiesof water which are purposed to be supplied over a large area of land. Such procedures areindustrial (complex) and are adopted in water purification in most Water Board companiesaround.These procedures are grouped into 5:

a. Coagulation:

Here, the coagulation of dirt, dust and other filth substances in the water to be treatedcoagulate on addition ofAlum. Due to the chemical reaction that occurs between the water and

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the added Alum, these particles immediately fuse together, thus forming large and heavierparticles of dirt in the water.

Action: The Addition ofAlum element brings about the effect of coagulation of dirt particles inwater.

b. Sedimentation:

This is an aftermath of the coagulation process. Once dirt particles are coagulated in the water,they form stronger, larger and heavier particles thus leading to an inevitable submergence to thebottom of the containing vessel.

Action: The coagulated particles sink to the bottom of the vessel, natural process as a resultof the coagulation process.

c. Filtration:

This is one of the physical processes of water treatment. Here, the water is passed through asand bed an effective filter bed that is able to trap particles as small as sand where thesecoagulated particles and other fine particles in the water are trapped and separated from thewater.

Action: The use of the sand bed is used to bring about the effective filtration of the waterfrom foreign particles.

d. Chlorination:

This is a major chemical process of water purification; it takes care of the chemical andbacterial purification of the water. Chlorine (liquid) is added here, this in effect kills all germs,bacteria etc in the water. This is due to the toxicity of chlorine; this therefore makes Chlorine thegermicide for water purification. A while after Chlorine addition, the strong effect of chlorinebegins to fade (represented as its string smell also begins to fade). A re-filtration or boilingcould be advisable.

Action: The addition ofchlorine to the water kills all inherent germs in the water, thusmaking the water chemically safe for drinking.

e. Supplementary:

This process is not just a supplementary process but also quite mandatory for the completion ofwater purification. It involves the addition of fluorine and Iodine which help in the formation ofstrong teeth and prevents goiter respectively. This is due to the possibility, that the water beingpurified may not contain these vital elements.

Action: The addition offluorine and iodine supplements the usefulness of the water beingpurified to the body.