SURYANSH TALUKDAR – Std. IX ( Research Team Member)
(This article was published in Times NIE, 26th March 2018)
Water is an important mode of transporting macro and micro nutrients in our body, but with recent changes in our lifestyle and ever increasing rate of pollution, we tend to drink so called safe water or mineral water, which is bought for a price. We never bother to check on the essential salts present in water. As a result, people suffer from neurological and renal disorders which arise due to vital mineral deficiency.
We planned to study the TDS of safe drinking water from various parts of the county. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids in water and represents the total concentration of dissolved substances in water. Water with high TDS may contain potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium along with sodium bicarbonate, sulphate, chloride and nitrate. The accepted limits of TDS in the world in 70 ppm – 700 ppm.
The research revealed that certain components of TDS such as chlorides, sulphates, magnesium, carbonates, affect corrosion or encrustation in water distribution system. High TDS level (>500mg/ L) results in excessive scaling in water pipes, water heaters, and water boilers . The water in places like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Vellore has very high TDS, (1000 ppm) which is not potable. .
Low TDS in water may also cause health issues. People are dependent on water purifiers equipped with the RO (Reverse Osmosis) technology. This RO technology filters out useful minerals in water. Drinking RO water is as good as drinking distilled water, as its ppm is 7 – 8 ppm, deprived of not only pathogens but also minerals.
People are advised to buy their water purifiers in accordance to the TDS level of the water, supplied by the civic authorities, because high and low TDS are harmful for the human body. The research educated us to the quality of water we consume, the concentration of minerals and its significance. It was an eye opener to learn that TDS of drinking water should be ideally between 70ppm- 700 ppm.