Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
This study was carried out to characterize and treat the canal water for making it suitable for human consumption.
Samples of water were collected from a canal running near Peshawar known as Warsak lift canal. The samples were
evaluated both chemically and microbiologically and found unfit for drinking purpose. Therefore, physical treatment
using sand as a filtering media was applied for making the water suitable for drinking purpose. Sand filtration technique
significantly reduced the selected quality parameters and made canal water suitable for human consumption according
to World Health Organization.
Keywords: Canal water, treatment, biological parameter, chemical parameter, rapid sand filter
Introduction
Water treatment describes a process used to make
water more acceptable for desired end-uses, including
drinking, industrial processes, medical and many others.
The goal of water treatment process is to remove existing
contaminants from the water and improving it for
subsequent use (Anil, 1989). Treated water can be
discharged into the natural environment without causing
adverse ecological impacts. The Water treatment processes
may be physical (settling), chemical (disinfection or
coagulation) or biological (slow sand filtration or activated
sludge techniques) (Chatwal et al., 1989).
Water purification is the removal of contaminants from
untreated contaminated water to produce water for drinking
purpose that should be pure enough for its intended use,
most commonly human consumption. Substances that are
removed during the process of drinking water treatment
include bacteria, algae, viruses, and fungi, minerals such as
iron, lead and sulphur, and man-made chemical pollutants
(Chapman, 1992) from chemical industries.
The common method for filtration of a public water
supply is to pass it through a layer of sand. It has been
found that by passing water through sand, suspended and
colloidal matters are partially removed, the chemical
characteristics of water are changed, and the number of
bacteria is substantially reduced. Thus, filtration through
sand does aid in the removal of color, taste, odors, iron and
manganese. To suggest appropriate water treatment
technique, the water treatment through sand filter was used.
Filtration is the passage of water through a porous
medium for the removal of particles in suspension. The
effectiveness of filters was initially evaluated for the
Sampling
Samples were collected in 1.5 L capacity polythene
bottles. The bottles were cleaned with cleaning mixture and
then thoroughly washed with distilled water. At the
sampling sites, the bottles were again washed thrice with
the sample water and then filled with sample water.
Samples were stored below 40C and preserved according
to the preservation method given in the standard method for
*Email: saeedayousaf@hotmail.com
2013, Soil Science Society of Pakistan (http://www.sss-pakistan.org)
104
Microbiological parameters
Aerobic plate count
The aerobic plate count was designed to provide an
overall estimate of the total number of aerobic organisms in
a given sample. A series of dilutions of the water was
mixed with an agar medium and incubated at 35 C for 48
h. It is assumed that each visible colony is the result of
multiplication of single cell on the surface of the agar. The
total plate count is useful for indicating the overall
microbiological quality of product and, thus, is useful for
indicating potential spoilage in perishable products. Media
was prepared by dissolving 23.5 g of agar in 1 liter
deionized water, placed over water bath for 30 minutes for
mixing. Then it was sterilized at 121 C for 30 minutes.
Prior to its use, media was kept over water bath at 50 C.
105
S1
240
144
116
NIL
430
7.5
188
Nil
18
14.5
2.4
441.6
404
184
544
185
9.2
S1T
235
124
91
NIL
422
7
184
Nil
18
12
1.8
233.92
2
140
186
0
<1.1
S2
240
140
100
NIL
385
7.80
172
Nil
33
20
16.2
153.6
98
292
346
0
0
-
S2T
180
124
56
In traces
370
7.10
168
Nil
20
12.6
5.1
26.8
4
248
296
0
0
-
S3
240
140
100
Nil
235
7.80
172
Nil
30
20
16.2
150.6
1146
196
1280
0
0
-
S3T
180
124
56
Nil
234
7.3
168
Nil
20
11.6
5.1
26
4
134
200
0
0
-
S4
160
88
72
In traces
376
7.54
104
Nil
30.4
18
3.6
61.44
1508
350
1640
50
80
9000
23
S4T
140
80
60
Nil
213
7.53
96
Nil
18
5
3.4
57.6
4
132
354
43
60
-
WHO Limit
6.5-9.20
80 mg L-1
5 mg L-1
1000 mg L-1
250.00 mg L-1
400 mg L-1
Zero
40 g L-1
3 mg L-1
700 g L-1
10 g L-1
2.4 mg L-1
250 mg L-1
150 mg L-1
106
Conclusion
References
Anil, K.D. 1989. Environmental Chemistry. 2nd Ed., Willy
Eastern Ltd. New Delhi, India, 228 p.
APHA, 1998. Standard methods for the examination of
water and waste water. 20th Ed. American Public
Health Association, American Water Works
Association and Water Pollution Control Federation.
APHA, 1992. Standard methods for the examination of
water and wastewater, 18th Ed. American Public Health
Association and Water Environmental Foundation EPS
Group, Inc., Maryland, USA, 2-55, 129-131.
107