Analysis of Physical, Chemical and Biological Aspects of Drinking Water at University of Sindh Jamshoro

Safe drinking water is a basic need for good health. It is critically needed to characterize drinking water, by measuring its pH and electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, and analysing for biological contamination. Drinking water quality standards are set with some parameters and that harmful constituents should not exveed (WHO guidelines (2011). The WHO recommended drinking water pH lies in the neutral range. The electrical conductivity of water is mainly due to the presence of ionizable inorganic compounds in water. As a whole, the electrical conductivity of water is a good measure of the salinity of the water. Water quality is also influenced due to the presence of different suspended and total dissolved compounds (TDS), and microbial organisms. In general, increase in TDS (> 600mg/L) reduces the palatability of water. The limit of TDS is maintained by the municipality during water treatment. The higher values of TDS in turbid water indicates the breach in water treatment, storage or supplies, and thus, polluted water could be associated with various health issues, change in taste, colour, smell, and hardness of water along with excessive scaling of water supplies pipes and home appliances (Tanninen et al., 2005; UNICEF, 2008). Moreover, the quality of ground or surface water is significantly influenced by human socio-economic activities and industrialization (UNICEF, 2008; WHO, 2011)