Picking up a glass, turning on the tap and drinking water seems like a simple and natural gesture in our daily lives, but how is the water treated until it reaches our taps? Does everyone have access to safe drinking water?
The United Nations stated on July 28, 2010 that the human right to water and sanitation is fundamental, reaffirming that safe drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights.
Even so, more than 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water or sanitation systems, according to the latest United Nations (UN) report. In other words, 3 out of 10 people do not have access to safe drinking water in their homes.
Although water treatment is essential for human use, it also has other uses.
What is drinking water treatment?
Water treatment is the coordination of physical, chemical and biological operations used to eliminate water pollution.
The main objective is the removal of substances that can be found in the feed water, from wells with aqueous solids (sand from waste streams, dirt, sludge and oxides).
Thanks to water treatment, we can obtain water that is suitable for human, animal, irrigation and industrial use, among others.
Types of water treatment
- Drinking water treatment: is the set of procedures carried out to convert water for human use. Within this water treatment we can find desalination.
- Wastewater treatment: from industrial or agricultural activities and domestic use.
There are different types of wastewater treatment, and they are classified according to the type of contamination, such as: precipitation, neutralization, chemical and biological oxidation, reduction, filtration, osmosis, etc.
The importance of water treatment
- Protect our health: thanks to water treatment, we protect our health, since the consumption of unsafe water causes diseases such as cholera, other diarrheas, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and poliomyelitis.
- Protecting the environment: thanks to wastewater treatment we are protecting the environment, thus protecting rivers, seas, etc.
- To protect fauna and flora: among the most common problems is the increase of phosphorus in rivers due to industrial pollution, but thanks to water treatment the rivers begin to obtain that characteristic transparent water.
- Recycling treated water: there are activities that do not require potable water, so it is very useful to recycle treated water. These activities include: irrigation, industrial or public sector cleaning, boilers, etc.
Drinking water treatment is vital for the development of different ecosystems and human life. At CIVILE we are experts in water treatment and we are committed to a waste-free world.
