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This post will update you on water pollution, water filters, and how to resolve your drinking water safety issues. The titles in the post are:

1. What is water pollution?
2. How many deaths a year are caused by water pollution?
3. Is borehole water safe for drinking?
4. What are the advantages of a borehole?
5. Can borehole water be treated?
6. How do you filter borehole water for drinking yourself?
7. What is the best water purification system for home use?

What is Water Pollution?

When I think of potable drinking water, the first thing that comes to mind, and rightly so, is purity.

Impure water or polluted water is water that contains biological and physicochemical substances and properties that don’t conform to the standards of the World Health Organization. Microbial substances are usually microorganisms such as E. coli and other microbes responsible for diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, polio, etc.

Other parameters that would make water impure for drinking include the level of mineral elements in the water. These elements are present in water in the soluble state and include Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride, Phosphate, Ammonia, Nitrate, Sulphate, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Chromium, Cadmium, Nickel, and Lead. (ResearchGate – E. O. Ezugwu/ DOI:10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i3-09, Impact factor: 5,825).

How many deaths a year are caused by water pollution?

The reason you to pay attention to the quality of water you and your household consume is that from statistics, water pollution is linked to about 1.4 million premature deaths and workplace-related pollution was implicated in additional 0.8 deaths. We then need to pay attention to the quality of our drinking water source, especially the borehole water.

Is borehole water safe for drinking?

Borehole water is safe for drinking so long as the WHO’s Drinking-water quality guidelines are followed, in ensuring the safety of the water from your borehole. (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045064)

The usual practice is to get conversant with the standards and then employ the services of professionals to check and take care of your borehole.

What are the advantages of borehole water?

The borehole is an asset that lasts very long and if professionally dug and maintained, it remains a source of clean healthy drinking water. Its major advantage is that the protection and maintaining the healthy quality of the water are within your control, unlike the water from the river or public source.

However, the disadvantage of borehole water is that you have to spend huge money to acquire and ascertain the physical and chemical properties of the water from the borehole before it can be used either for cooking, bathing, drinking and washing, and watering our fruits and vegetable for fear of contamination.

Can borehole water be treated?

Yes, borehole water can be treated.

The first step is to get the quality properties of the water from the borehole. You may choose to do it yourself by taking the sample of water from your borehole to a qualified laboratory for analysis and getting a report and recommendation.

The next step is to get a professional to assist with the procurement and application of the appropriate chemicals to the borehole. The parameters to watch out for are usually pH, turbidity, color, dissolved oxygen, dissolved solids and elements, and microbes

There are appropriate water filters for borehole water treatment that takes care of the water quality issues of your boreholes. They are specialized filters and require plumbing technicians to install them.

Some of these drinking water filters are

• water filters that remove bacteria and viruses
  • The best water filters that remove bacteria and viruses are reverse osmosis filters. They have membranes with pores so tiny that viruses and bacteria can’t pass through. To see samples, click here.
• water filters for borehole
  • These are the whole house pre-tank sedimentation filters that reduce sediments from the borehole to the barest minimum, keeping your tank free of sand and bacteria, and algae. These sediments filters are built with micro-pore-sized stainless steel wire mesh that stops sediments, mud, turbidity, dirt, and sand from blocking your pipes and other home water appliances. Click here to see a sample of auto-flushing stainless steel whole house sediment filter.
• water filter for tap
  • This filter is inbuilt with the tap and has a washable water filtration system that reduces chlorine, heavy metals, lead, and bad taste. Click here to select one for your kitchen.
• water filter candle
  • Most drinking water filters and pitchers are fitted with washable and replaceable water filter candles of various specifications. The appropriate filter candle for your type of water filter is usually specified by the manufacturer. Check for the specification in the pack or on the body of the water filter. If your water filter candle is old and you need a replacement, click here.

• (Note: The links in this post are amazon links and buying your filters with them will earn us an affiliate commission)

How do you filter borehole water for drinking yourself?

There is a simple and less expensive way to treat your borehole water for drinking. This method has always been there and formed the basis for all the innovations in water purification.

The process which I have been using till now comprises these few steps below:

1. Fill a 4-liter stainless steel kettle with clean water from your borehole
2. Heat the water to water boiling point
3. Let it cool down reasonably
4. Pour it into a 12-liter plastic bucket that has a cover
5. At room temperature, fill up a reverse osmosis water pitcher to the brim
6. Keep the pitcher either on your dining table or at a convenient point for the household.

I have had an alkaline water filter pitcher with a filter for over 7 years and it still serves my household very well. We regularly get out the filter, wash it and the pitcher, and assemble it back. It has saved me the cost of water dispensers and regular water refills.

Here is a replica of the alkaline water pitcher I am using and if you need it, then buy using this link, click here.

What is the best Water Purification System for home use?

The best water purification system for home use is that one through innovation has taken all the best features of water safety and seamlessly delivers drinking water for home use. Installation should also be seamless yet very functional, providing the option of hot, cold, and room temperature drinking water.

It must also guarantee germ-free drinking water for a healthy home. Some that are readily available online are connected directly to the kitchen sink water supply pipe and can boil the water, filter, and dispense hot, cold, and room temperature water. Look at some very good water purifiers here.

Conclusion:

Water pollution is a global issue affecting the world. This is made worse by industrialization and global warming. It is therefore imperative for individuals to take responsibility for the quality of the water they drink and that of their household by checking the properties of water they take from their boreholes. This they can do by taking samples of water they drink to a laboratory for analysis.

The other way to ensure the safety of household drinking water is by installing drinking water appliances.