By Jordan Schmidt


Inadequate and unsafe water use is one main cause of morbidity and or mortality in the society. Healthy sources of this commodity are therefore required for a successful growth in both social and economic activities. The beauty of clean and safe sources cannot therefore be over emphasized. No single individual would wish to consume contaminated fluids. Concerned authorities have equally employed varying measures intended to attain this goal. One such measure is installation of drinking water filtration systems.

In the past centuries, pollution was not a major concern of communities living then. There was no serious pollution causing industries as there are now. Then, some sources could be used without prior check or tests conferring proof of safety. This practice is no more and all water sources including springs require verification before use. Processing chain may be very complex or simple depending on amount of water involved and the purpose for which it is being processed.

Filtration process intended to achieve purification may take many approaches. Intended use of resultant fluid dictates the approach or approaches suitable for achieving desired end result. When filtering fluids, the intention is to separate large sized materials. All the same, different filtering units remove different sizes of impurities. For this reason, various items may be very necessary to filter out different items. Gravel and sand of different diameters may therefore be employed.

After removing large suspended items, it is necessary to perform a step by step value addition. This is achieved by filtering resultant fluid from which large suspended solids have been removed. Filtration occurs in steps and sequence. The initial phase is rapid sand filtering units designed to eliminate relatively small undesired components. It is quick and large amounts of fluid can be prepared in a short while. Fluid being prepared passes from top vertically down with aid of gravity leaving behind all the undesired components.

Other than rapid filters, slow filters are employed to eliminate even smaller impurities. Just like rapid system, sand is still the primary component in this option. However, small fine sand is used in this case. Unlike rapid system, it is slow and takes a lot of time to prepare adequate supply that can meet the needs of a community. Following this, it is usually situated in places with adequate space to provide large surface area.

Third in this category are the membrane filters. They are fine and very useful in removing additional fine impurities. A positive pressure is needed to drive the fluid through these small pores. Fluid resulting from these processes may not be as pure as those obtained through distillation but contain minimal contamination and are therefore safe for human consumption.

One main way of controlling dissolved ions is through chemical ion exchange processes. Chemicals like calcium and magnesium ions are removed through an ion exchange process. In this process, least troubling ions are instead discharged into water. Better still, ultra filtration membranes may be very useful in complete separation of heavy ions before fluid is ready for use.

Let all persons be safe. Safety is necessary for disease prevention. It is one way of reducing disease burden on a population.




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