Question

Explain the various steps that take place in water purification systems.

Answer 1

Water brought to the purification system contains impurities and suspended particles along with harmful microbes.

The process of water purification system includes the following stages:

Stage-1

The collected water is first stored in a reservoir.

Stage-2

It is then moved into the sedimentation tank and left undisturbed till all the large solid particles settle down.

Stage-3

Later it is moved to a loading tank, this is where cogulants such as alum are added to remove turbudity.

Stage-4

Then, water is moved to a filtration tank, which has three layers:

1. A fine sand layer at the top
2. A coarse sand layer in the middle
3. Gravel at the bottom

All these three layers act as filters and makes the water free of solid particles.

Stage-5

Water from the filtration tank is then passed to a chlorination tank, where it is mixed with the chlorine tablets to kill bacteria and other microorganisms in the water.

Thus this is a final stage of the water purification system and clean water is now available for drinking and other human use.