We can’t stress enough how water is the most important thing that all living creatures need. Life on our planet sustains because of this universal solvent. Over 70% of the earth’s surface consists of water, but most of it is not fit for human consumption.
Drinking purified water should be a must in your daily routine. The quality of your overall health depends on the amount of water you drink regularly. People who fail to drink ample amounts of water usually suffer from dehydration, fatigue, constipation, and kidney stones, to name a few.
Why is it Important to Purify your Water?
If you are a regular reader of our blog then you must have noticed that recently we have been putting a lot of emphasis on the benefits of drinking water and the right time to drink water.
But, we are not telling you to consume from any source available. The source is very important as it tells you the quality of water and what effect it can have on your body. Most of the tap water available in India is unfit for consumption.
Yes, you heard us right.
In our country, over one lakh people die of water-borne diseases annually. There is also a lack of proper planning and treatment of drinking water which has left only one choice i.e. to use water purification at our homes and workplaces.
Water that may look clean & clear can contain several harmful impurities, impurities that can make you seriously ill.
Therefore it is quite obvious that we should only drink purified water.
The easiest and most reliable method of water purification is using a good-quality water purifier.
But in this post, we’ll discuss several other alternative ways to purify water for drinking.
11 Simple Ways to Purify Drinking Water
Purifying the water that you drink does not need a lot of hassles; let us check out some easy ways to do this.
1. Boiling
This is the most obvious and simplest method one could adopt. If you are home and use tap water for cooking or even drinking in that matter, do not forget to boil it at a high temperature. Boiling kills all the microorganisms like viruses, parasites, and bacteria that could be present in the water. Sounds easy? Well, do not forget to cool the water before you gulp it down.
2. Chlorination
Liquid household chlorine could be easily used to treat water before consumption. One should always keep in mind the concentration of chlorine used with the right amount of water. It should never exceed the quantity of water to be treated. The only downside of this method is that it will leave a rather strange smell and bitter taste for you.
Click to read: Removing Chlorine with Gravity-Based Water Purifiers
3. Filtration
It’s one of the most effective ways of purifying water. This method involves various chemical and physical processes to purify water and make it safe for consumption. Filtration greatly helps in removing both large compounds and small, dangerous contaminants that could pose a danger to human health. Impressive right?
4. Distillation
Scientifically, this method involves heating the water at its lower boiling point and collecting the pure form as it vaporizes. This vapor is connected to a condenser and in turn, the water is collected for drinking purposes. Well, it sounds like an authentic process but the main downside is that it is a slow process for purification. It treats bacteria and germs but also it is a costly affair.
5. Water Purifier
You are most probably aware of this kind of purifier as its presence in most of our households. Using the right purifier at home would directly impact our health. There are several purifiers available in the market and we would recommend you go for RO purifiers which are best suited for home.
6. Filtration through Clay Vessels (मटका)
In some parts of India and other countries, clay vessels are considered suitable for storing and filtering water. A highly porous clay pot or container could be used to purify muddy water. Clay vessels are considered great for bringing out purity in water.
7. Reverse Osmosis
In the past, RO purification of water was mostly used for industrial and commercial purposes. But RO purification has now become the most reliable and popular method for the purification of drinking water in homes. Reverse osmosis is a process that forces water through a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants.
8. Water Purification Tablets
The main composition of these tablets would be either chlorine dioxide or iodine. They kill a variety of bacteria and microorganisms that could be present in water. One needs to leave it for 30 minutes to purify the water. However, the use of these tablets can leave an unpleasant taste and odor in the water. On top of that, they aren’t that successful in removing the chemical components that could be present in water. So yes, it’s not a method that is 100% approved for purifying drinking water.
9. Solar Distillation
In this form of distilling, the water is heated up using the heat of the sun. As the water evaporates because of the heat the pure form of water is collected and used for drinking purposes.
10. Iodine
This substance is known to kill the bacteria and viruses that may be present in your water. It is a very strong disinfectant and is also more effective than filtration. Yes, you heard us right! But, don’t get that excited as iodine-treated water might leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
11. UV Purification
In this purification process, the water is exposed to UV light and it works in a way to destroy the DNA of the microorganism or the bacteria so that they do not breed any further. However, this process fails when it comes to removing heavy metals and physical impurities from the water.
Conclusion
Some of the methods discussed above are now obsolete and might not seem practical, but we have kept them in this list for the sake of information. But they could still be used in situations where no other option is available.
If you have access to a modern-day water purifier then there is nothing better than that.
If you are still drinking groundwater or municipal tap water without any purification then you are putting your and your family’s health at great risk. You should start using a good water purifier today!
Highly impressive explanation. Wonderful.