Assessment of Physiochemical Characteristics of Drinking Water Quality in Allahabad Metropolitan City, India

Abstract

Clean and safe drinking water is important for the overall health and wellbeing; therefore, access to safe potable drinking water is one of the basic amenities of humankind, especially in urban areas with high consumption pattern of the large population inhabiting these spaces. Among the various sources of water, groundwater is considered to be the safest source of drinking water. However, due to rapid industrialization and population growth, the groundwater resources are getting polluted with harmful contaminants. These contaminants can be chemical or microbiological and cause various health problems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80 percent of all diseases in the world are directly or indirectly related to the contamination of water. Water in its natural state is colorless, odorless, and free from pathogens with pH in the range of 6.5–8.5. This water is termed as “potable water.” In the present study, the researchers have made an attempt to assess the physiochemical characteristics of drinking water quality in Allahabad and the effect of these contaminants on the health of the consumers. A comparison of the parameter standards as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (ISI, Indian standard specification for drinking water (IS10500). New Delhi: ISI, 1983 ) and the WHO (Guidelines for drinking water quality (Vol. 1). Geneva: WHO, 1984 ) have also been made to understand the national and global benchmarks. With the help of the standards of various parameters given by these organizations, the assessment of water quality of samples from various locations in Allahabad has been done.