Water as Resourse Material

1. Water as a Resource Material
Paper- 3A

2. Water Availability

3. Drinking Water
• Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion,
either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly
through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied
through taps, in which case it is also called tap water. Typically in
developed countries, tap water meets drinking water quality
standards, even though only a small proportion is actually consumed
or used in food preparation. Other typical uses for tap water include
washing, toilets, and irrigation. Greywater may also be used for toilets
or irrigation. Its use for irrigation however may be associated with
risks.

4. Water Sources
Potable water is available in almost all populated areas of the
Earth, although it may be expensive and the supply may not
always be sustainable. Sources where drinking water is
commonly obtained include springs, hyporheic zones and
aquifers (groundwater), from rainwater harvesting, surface water
(from rivers, streams, glaciers), or desalinated seawater.

5. Quantity & Quality
• Usage for general household use
• Usage for drinking
• Animals
• Parameters to monitor quality
• Drinking water quality standards

6. International Standard for Drinking Water
(WHO)
• The international standards for drinking water which must be followed are:
• Fluoride: Deficiency of fluoride causes tooth decay in humans. Water fluoridation is a method
which ensures controlled addition of soluble fluoride to the drinking water supply to bring its
concentration up to 1 ppm. However, excess fluoride causes mottling of teeth and bone defects;
so it is added only up to the safety limits.
• Lead: The water supply pipes, plumbing fittings, etc. either contain lead or are made up of it.
Excess lead has certain neurological effects. Long-term exposure can create health risks for
pregnant women and infants. It can also damage the liver, kidney, etc. Thus, the permissible limit
for lead concentration is 50 ppb only.
• Sulphate: Sulphate is often used for the control of algae in public water supply pipes. They are also
discharged from mines into the water. Some sulphates are highly soluble in water. So even after
water treatment, they may still be present in the water. Although it is harmless at a moderate
level, if its concentration exceeds 500 ppm in water, it can cause dehydration, diarrhoea, certain
laxative effects and gastrointestinal problems.
• Nitrate: Nitrates are used in fertilizers. They can reach surface and groundwater from agricultural
fields. If the concentration of nitrates exceeds 50 ppm in water, the digestive system is affected. It
also causes methemoglobinemia, commonly called the blue baby syndrome.
• Other metals: There are some other metals such as iron, copper, aluminium, zinc, etc., which have
the permissible concentration of 0.2 ppm, 3 ppm, 0.2 ppm and 5 ppm respectively.

7. Waterbrone Diseases
Anaemia
Arsenicosis
Ascariasis
Botulism
Campylobacteriosis
Cholera
Cryptosporiodiosis
Cyanobacterial toxins
Dengue
Diarrhoea
Dracunculiasis
Fluorosis
Giardiasis
Hepatitis
Hookworm infection
Japanese encephalitis
Lead poisoning
Legionellosis
Leptospirosis
Lymphatic filariasis
Malaria
Malnutrition
Methemoglobinemia
Onchocerciasis
Polio
Ring Worm or Tinea
Scabies
Schistomiasis
Trachoma
Trichuriasis
Typhoid

8. Water Use as Raw Material
• Production
• Manufacturing
• Medicine Manufacturing
• Cooling
• Water Ways
• Irrigation
• Drinking
• Bathing
• Fishing
• Recreational Purposes

9. Cooling Water
• Non-contact cooling– The use of water to remove heat from a unit process without
the water directly contacting the finished product.
• Waste Heat – Heat produced as a by-product of an industrial process.
• Heat Exchanger– A device to transfer heat from a fluid flowing on one side of a
barrier to a fluid or fluids flowing on the other.
• Once-through Cooling System – A system that uses water to cool process
equipment and then discharges that water to a receiving stream
• Closed Cooling System – A cooling system that recirculates the same water over
and over using secondary heat exchangers to reject waste heat from the system.
• Open Recirculating Cooling System – A
cooling system that uses water flow to remove waste heat from a process or
equipment. The waste heat is rejected to the atmosphere by evaporation and
sensible heat exchange through direct contact with air and is then recirculated
through the system.

11. Irrigation Water
• Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through
various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays. Irrigation is usually used
in areas where rainfall is irregular or dry times or drought is expected.
There are many types of irrigation systems, in which water is supplied
to the entire field uniformly.

12. Types of Irrigation Systems
• Surface irrigation: Water is distributed over and across land by gravity, no mechanical pump involved.
• Localized irrigation: Water is distributed under low pressure, through a piped network and applied to each
plant.
• Drip irrigation: A type of localized irrigation in which drops of water are delivered at or near the root of
plants. In this type of irrigation, evaporation and runoff are minimized.
• Sprinkler irrigation: Water is distributed by overhead high-pressure sprinklers or guns from a central location
in the field or from sprinklers on moving platforms.
• Center pivot irrigation: Water is distributed by a system of sprinklers that move on wheeled towers in a
circular pattern. This system is common in flat areas of the United States.
• Lateral move irrigation: Water is distributed through a series of pipes, each with a wheel and a set of
sprinklers, which are rotated either by hand or with a purpose-built mechanism. The sprinklers move a
certain distance across the field and then need to have the water hose reconnected for the next distance.
This system tends to be less expensive but requires more labor than others.
• Sub-irrigation: Water is distributed across land by raising the water table, through a system of pumping
stations, canals, gates, and ditches. This type of irrigation is most effective in areas with high water tables.
• Manual irrigation: Water is distributed across land through manual labor and watering cans. This system is
very labor intensive.

13. Fishing Water
• Water Uses for Fishing Activities

14. Industrial Water
• Industrial water is the generic term for water used in industry
during production and processing operations. This includes,
for example, water for cleaning surfaces, for preparing rinses,
acid treatments or active baths, and much more.
• Industrial water - once it has served its purpose in production
- becomes polluted industrial wastewater.
• The composition of industrial water is not regulated - it
depends on the requirements of the respective production
and can be deionized water (fully demineralized/distilled
water) or, for example, completely normal municipal water
from the tap.
• The composition of typical types of industrial wastewater
cannot be generalized either. The composition of industrial
waste water is as individual as the productions of the
industry itself

15. Types and sources of industrial wastewater
• Alkaline contamination: This type of industrial waste water originates from the metal or chemical industry
(e.g. tanning agents as used in textile factories).
• Cooling & radioactive contaminants: e.g. for nuclear power plants is often ensured with treated water from
surrounding municipalities. In this process, the cooling water is completely evaporated and the nuclear
power plant does not release any water into the environment. Radioactive contamination can be found in
wastewater from uranium mining facilities and medical facilities (X-ray).
• Organic pollution: Sources of industrial waste water polluted with organic matter are for example the meat
processing industry, tensile production or paper mills (this water often also has a high content of suspended
solids).
• Oil or grease contamination: from metal processing (e.g. chipping) or refinery operations, but also from
industries that process animal products such as slaughterhouses or dairies.
• Acid or contamination by heavy metals: Sources of industrial waste water with those kinds of pollutants are
for examö.ple the electroplating industry, bleaching and pickling plants, and in coal processing industries.
• Toxic contaminants: As in the manufacture of explosives, pesticides and in the textile industry (dyeing,
tanning).
• Contamination by cleaning agents: Sources of industrial waste water polluted by cleaning agents are for
example laundries, common domestic households or the surfactant industry.

16. Recreational Water
• Recreational water is the water we fish, boat, play, swim. There are
two types of recreational waters, treated and untreated. Accidental
ingestion of both types of recreational water can lead to illness from
exposure to pathogen or chemical contaminants. Treated recreational
waters are those that undergo some type of water filtration and
disinfection; such as in swimming pools, hot tubs, amusement or
water parks, splash pads and interactive fountains. Untreated
recreational waters include springs, streams, ponds, lakes, rivers, or
oceans. These water bodies naturally contain bacteria, viruses and
parasites from the environment.

17. Cultural Water
Cultural water is water that is considered sacred and is connected to
spiritual beliefs and creation stories. It can come from various sources,
such as springs, wells, lakes, and rivers. The significance of cultural
water is often linked to its history or location.
• idols of worship are sprinkled with water (abhishekam)
• Rivers as Maa
• Chhath
• Kund
• Baolis