Summary of Study Session 14

In Study Session 14, you have learned that:

1. Drinking water is treated to improve smell, taste, clarity and to remove disease-causing pathogens.
2. If water from an unprotected source is not treated before it is used for drinking, this may cause an outbreak of waterborne disease. Disease outbreaks may also occur because of contamination at some point after collection from the source.
3. The main objectives of water treatment are to:
   • reduce or remove all contaminants that are present in the water
   • raise water quality to the highest possible level for long-term use
   • meet water quality standards
   • reduce waterborne diseases.
4. Household water treatment technologies include dilute bleach solution, Aquatabs, solar disinfection (SODIS), cloth filters, ceramic filters, the biosand filter, PUR and Wuhu Agar. Safe storage is also essential.
5. Conventional large-scale water treatment is feasible for urban areas where the population is dense. There are several steps in the treatment process at this level.