Question

List any two characteristics of drinking water. Why is the water obtained from oceans and seas unfit for drinking purposes?

Answer 1

The characteristics of drinking water are that it must be:

(i) colourless and odourless.

(ii) free from any suspended impurities.

Water in ocean and seas is salty because many salts are dissolved in it. Salt has dehydrating properties. Hence, the more saltwater we drink, the more water is lost from our body. As we drink sea water, the water already present in our body is re-routed to help our body dilute the excess of salt thereby causing dehydration.