Purifying borehole water at home often involves a combination of methods to ensure it's safe for drinking and other uses. A common and effective approach includes filtration followed by disinfection, such as using chlorine.
Why Purify Borehole Water?
Borehole water, drawn from underground sources, can contain various contaminants. These may include sediment, dissolved minerals, and potentially harmful microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Purification is essential to remove these impurities and protect your health.
Chlorine Purification: A Key Method
One widely used method for disinfecting borehole water is chlorination. As highlighted by experts, chlorine is an effective water purification method that kills germs, parasites and other disease-causing organisms found in ground or tap water.
This makes it a reliable option for targeting harmful biological contaminants often found in untreated water sources like boreholes.
Using Chlorine Tablets or Liquid
You can purify borehole water using chlorine tablets or liquid chlorine. These are readily available and provide a straightforward way to disinfect water at home. As an off-the-shelf water purification product, chlorine is cheap and effective, making it a popular choice for household water treatment.
Steps for Chlorine Purification
Using chlorine to purify borehole water typically involves these steps:
- Pre-treatment (Filtering): If your borehole water is cloudy or contains visible sediment, it's crucial to filter it first. Sediment and turbidity can reduce the effectiveness of chlorine. Simple methods like passing water through a clean cloth, sand filter, or a sediment filter can help clear it.
- Determine Dosage: The amount of chlorine needed depends on the volume of water and its quality. Always follow the instructions provided with the specific chlorine tablets or liquid product you are using. The manufacturer's guidelines will specify the correct dosage per litre or gallon.
- Add Chlorine: Add the measured amount of liquid chlorine or the specified number of tablets to the water.
- Mix Thoroughly: Stir the water well to ensure the chlorine is evenly distributed.
- Allow Contact Time: Let the chlorinated water stand for a minimum contact time, usually around 30 minutes. This allows the chlorine sufficient time to kill harmful microorganisms. In some cases, if the water is very cold or heavily contaminated, a longer contact time might be necessary (e.g., up to several hours).
- Check for Faint Smell: After the contact time, the water should have a faint smell of chlorine. This indicates that enough chlorine was added and that disinfection has likely occurred. If there is no smell, the water may require a second dose (following product instructions).
- Remove Taste/Odour (Optional): If the chlorine taste or smell is too strong, you can reduce it by letting the water stand uncovered for a few hours (aeration) or by passing it through an activated carbon filter.
Benefits of Using Chlorine
- Effective: Kills a wide range of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
- Accessible: Readily available as tablets or liquid chlorine and is an off-the-shelf solution.
- Cost-Effective: Chlorine is cheap compared to some other purification systems.
Essential Pre-treatment Steps
Regardless of the disinfection method chosen, pre-treating borehole water is often necessary.
- Sedimentation: Allowing water to sit undisturbed helps heavier particles settle at the bottom.
- Filtration: Using filters (like sediment filters, sand filters, or multimedia filters) removes suspended solids, turbidity, and can improve water clarity before disinfection. This is vital because chlorine works best on clear water.
Other Potential Purification Methods
While chlorination is effective for killing pathogens, other methods can be used alone or in combination:
- Boiling: Heating water to a rolling boil for at least one minute is a simple way to kill most microorganisms.
- UV Filters: Ultraviolet light systems use UV rays to inactivate bacteria and viruses as water passes through a chamber. They do not remove particles or chemicals.
- Comprehensive Filtration Systems: Multi-stage filter systems including sediment, carbon, and sometimes specialized filters can remove a wider range of contaminants, including sediment, chemicals, and improving taste/odour.
Important Safety & Practical Tips
- Test Your Water: Before implementing any purification method, it is highly recommended to have your borehole water tested by a certified laboratory. This helps identify specific contaminants present and determine the most appropriate purification methods and chlorine dosage needed.
- Follow Instructions: Always adhere strictly to the manufacturer's instructions for any purification product, especially regarding dosage and contact time for chlorine.
- Proper Storage: Store purification chemicals safely, away from children and pets, and in a cool, dry place.
By combining appropriate pre-treatment with effective disinfection methods like chlorination, you can significantly improve the quality and safety of your borehole water at home.
