Recommendeed guidelines for physical and chemical parameters
| No | Characteristics | Acceptable* | Cause for Rejection** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turbidity ( N.T.U. ) | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2 | Colour (Units on Platinum Cobalt scale) | 5 | 25 | ||
| 3 | Taste and Odour | Unobjectionable | Objectionable | ||
| 4 | pH | 7.0 to 8.5 | <6.5 or >9.2 | ||
| 5 | Total dissolved solids (mg/l) | 500 | 2000 | ||
| 6 | Total hardness (mg/l) (as CaCO3) | 200 | 600 | ||
| 7 | Chlorides (as Cl) (mg/l) | 200 | 1000 | ||
| 8 | Sulphates (as SO4) (mg/l) | 200 | 400 | ||
| 9 | Fluorides (as F) (mg/l) | 1 | 1.5 | ||
| 10 | Nitrates (as NO3) (mg/l) | 45 | 45 | ||
| 11 | Calcium (as Ca) (mg/l) | 75 | 200 | ||
| 12 | Magnesium (as Mg) (mg/l) | <30 | 150 | ||
| If there are 250 mg/l of sulphates, Mg content can be increased to a maximum of 125 mg/l with the reduction of sulphate at the rate of 1 unit per every 2.5 units of sulphates. | |||||
| 13 | Iron (as Fe) (mg/l) | 0.1 | 1 | ||
| 14 | Alkalinity mg/l as CaCO3 | 200 | 600 | ||
| 15 | Residual Chlorine | 0.2 | >1.0 | ||
| 16 | Manganese (as Mn) (mg/l) | 0.05 | 0.5 | ||
| 17 | Aluminium as Al mg/l | 0.03 | 0.2 | ||
| 18 | Copper (as Cu) (mg/l) | 0.05 | 1.5 | ||
| 19 | Zinc (as Zn) (mg/l) | 5 | 15 | ||
| 20 | Phenolic Compounds (as Phenol)(mg/l) | 0.001 | 0.002 | ||
| 21 | Anionic detergents (mg/l) (as MBAS) | 0.2 | 1 | ||
| 22 | Mineral Oil (mg/l) | 0.01 | 0.03 | ||
| TOXIC MATRIALS | |||||
| 23 | Arsenic (as As) (mg/l) | 0.01 | 0.05 | ||
| 24 | Cadmium (as Cd) (mg/l) | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||
| 25 | Chromium (as hexavalent Cr) (mg/l) | 0.05 | 0.05 | ||
| 26 | Cyanides (as CN) (mg/l) | 0.05 | 0.05 | ||
| 27 | Lead (as Pb) (mg/l) | 0.05 | 0.05 | ||
| 28 | Selenium (as Se) (mg/l) | 0.01 | 0.01 | ||
| 29 | Mercury (total as Hg) (mg/l) | 0.001 | 0.001 | ||
| 30 | Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons(PAH) (ug/l) | 0.2 | 0.2 | ||
| 31 | Pesticides Total, mg/l | Absent | Refer WHO guidelines for drinking water quality Vol.I;1993 | ||
| RADIO ACTIVITY + | |||||
| 32 | Gross Alpha activity Bq/l | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||
| 33 | Gross Beta activity Bq/l | 1 | 1 | ||
| Note |
*.The figures indicated under the column 'Acceptable' are the limits upto which water is generally acceptable to the consumers. **. Figures in excess of those mentioned under 'Acceptable' render the water not acceptable, but still may be tolerated in the absence of alternative and better source but upto the limits indicated under column "Cause for Rejection" above which the sources will have to be rejected. +. It is possible that some mine and spring waters may exceed these radio activity limits and in such cases it is necessary to analyse the individual radionuclides in order to assess the acceptability or otherwise for public consumption. |
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