How Water is Purified

1. The purification of water is basically a two-step process carried out under strict supervision of public
health scientists and engineers.

2. For the first step, natural water from the least contaminated source is allowed to stand in large
reservoirs, where most of the mud, silt and clay settle out; this is called sedimentation.

3. Often, in water with high mud content, lime and aluminum sulfate are added to the water in the
setting reservoirs.

4. Lime and aluminum sulfate react in the water to form aluminum hydroxide, which settles slowly and
carries much of the suspended material, including most of the bacteria to the bottom of the reservoirs.

5.