Processing of Contaminated Water Supply

Jakarta, When disaster strikes, scarcity of clean water would be an issue that needs attention. In this condition many water sources that experienced contamination. So how do I treat water affected by pollution?

Two-thirds of the human body weight is water. This makes humans able to survive without food for three weeks, but it is impossible to live without water for more than three days.

Water conditions are considered safe and healthy consumption is a clear, colorless, odorless, tasteless, free from disease-free mikroorgansime containing hazardous chemicals.

With the natural disaster would make a lot of clean water sources contaminated, either due to biological hazards (such as viruses, bacteria or worms) or chemical hazards (such as detergents, solvents, cyanide, heavy metals, minerals and organic acids, nitrogen compounds, sulfides, ammonia and toxic organic compounds biocidal large varieties).

Biological hazards can cause health problems such as:

1. Diarrhea
2. Worm infection
3. Dysentery (both amoeba and bacteria)
4. Cholera
5. Stomach Problems
6. Typhoid
7. Jaundice


While the chemical hazards can cause health problems as follows:

1. Skin infection
2. Intestinal disorders
3. Liver disorders, bone and circulatory system, birth anomalies
4. Anemia, bone marrow damage, leukemia
5. Central nervous system damage
6. Problems carcinogenic


How to purify contaminated water?

Reporting from Webhealthcentre, Friday (11/05/2010), purification of water is mostly done in three stages, namely storage, filtration and chlorination. But it seems that these three stages is not sufficient to completely purify the polluted water.

Here beberapaa other ways to reduce the danger of contamination of water both biologically and chemically:

1. Filtering and boiling
Although they are clean, the water will be drunk to be filtered and boiled it to boil for at least 5-10 minutes. It can kill bacteria, spores, ova, cysts and sterilize water. This process also removes carbon dioxide and calcium carbonate precipitation.

2. Chemical disinfection
It is useful to purify water that is stored in places such as in stagnant water, tank or well water.

3. Bleaching powder
This process is a chlorinated lime. 2.3 grams of bleaching powder is required to disinfect a cubic meter (1,000 liters) of water. But the water is very polluted and turbid can not be purified by this method.

Bleaching powder is an unstable compound with strong odors. When this compound is exposed to air, light or humidity, then these compounds will rapidly lose chlorine levels, so that it becomes ineffective.

4. Chlorine tablets
Market, chlorine tablets sold under the name halazone tablets. These compounds may be quite expensive but effective way to purify water with a small scale.

Chlorine tablets 'smarter' has been introduced recently. Chlorine tablet is 15-20 times more powerful than halogen tablets. One pill 0.5 gms, enough to disinfect 20 liters of water.

5. Filter
There are several types of filters, including ceramic filter 'candles' and UV filters.

The main part of a ceramic filter 'candles' wax is made of porcelain or infusorial soil. Its surface is coated with silver catalyst so that bacteria that enter into would be killed. This method eliminates bacteria that are commonly found in drinking water, but was ineffective with viruses that can escape the filter.

Tools UV filters generally consist of a prefilter, namely physical dirt filter. Carbon cartridge removes water from the colored organic impurities, odors, and other chlorine-free. While the UV light beam used to remove unwanted bacteria and viruses.




source: (http://www.detikhealth.com/read/2010/11/05/145527/1487210/766/mengolah-air-bersih-yang-tercemar)