Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance

Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance

Considering the importance of drinking water quality, 2% of the total allocated funds under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) has been earmarked for the Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme.

The Government of India has prescribed testing of the following 13 major parameters to assess the quality and suitability of water for drinking purposes.

13 Major Parameters of Water Quality Testing

1. Turbidity – Measurement of water clarity or cloudiness.

2. pH – Measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of water.

3. Colour – Assessment of the colour of water.

4. Hardness – Measurement of water hardness.

5. Chloride – Measurement of chloride concentration.

6. Alkalinity – Measurement of the alkaline nature of water.

7. TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) – Measurement of the total dissolved substances in water.

8. Fluoride – Measurement of fluoride concentration.

9. Iron – Measurement of iron concentration.

10. Nitrate – Measurement of nitrate concentration.

11. Sulphate – Measurement of sulphate concentration.

12. Coliform – Bacteriological testing for the presence of coliform bacteria.

13. E. coli – Testing for the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria, indicating possible faecal contamination.