Water Pollution Burden and Techniques for Control

Introduction

Water is the basic need for sustaining life as its availability both in quantity and quality are important. Earlier importance of the water was from the viewpoint of the quantity as civilization developed around the water bodies for the support of agriculture, transportation and domestic purposes. In the past, quality of water was judged through physical senses of sight, taste and smell. Recent development in medical sciences suggests some other methods for determination of water quality on the basis of biological, chemical and pathological pathways (Aggarwal, 2005). The relationship between human waste, drinking water and diseases (Halder et al, 2015) that are transmitted to humans through drinking contaminated water is found and is shown in Table 1. With the rapid increase in industrialisation and population, the demand for water is shooting up every day. Clean drinking water supply and basic sanitation are vital human needs for good health. Water performs several metabolic, physiological and other essential activities in human body and other living beings. It is used in our daily activities for various purposes such as drinking, cooking, bathing and in washing clothes and utensils.