Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. Situated in a swinging topography of the Deccan Plateau of the Indian subcontinent. This city is blessed with natural and man-made water bodies known as Cheruvus, Kuntas, etc; which act as a major source for mineral water, groundwater recharge, and water storage reservoirs for irrigation. It is also a major urban centre for all of south-central interior India. Due to rapid growth of population, industrialization, and agricultural practices since the 1970’s, the aquatic ecosystem is being polluted to an extent which is irreparable which is a problem of concern in Hyderabad. The discharge of sewage and industrial waste waters into water bodies is leading to deposition of various pollutants/contaminants into the aquatic ecosystem which may become accumulated, and toxic. These contaminants may make water unsuitable for various purposes and cause threat to human health through bioaccumulation inland water bodies of the city of Hyderabad, Telangana. Recently the tap water supplied to households in Hyderabad was considered the second safest in India, but is this really true? We will now find out.
As the city is growing in size and urbanization is at par, this makes it a global megacity. The requirement for clean drinking water has increased due to the above reasons. Many long-term water projects have emerged yet the water quality is deteriorating. The Musi river is turned into a sewage drainage carrying the domestic and industrial waste generated by the city’s Industry. Making the city a threat to provide clean drinking water. The main reason for contaminated water resources is the discharge of untreated wastewater emerging from domestic and industrial sources. Major Industries that are polluting the reservoirs include cement mills, sugar, thermal power plants, distilleries, fertilizers, oil refineries, caustic soda production, petrochemicals, zinc smelting, copper smelting, aluminium smelting, sulphuric acid, integrated iron and steel, pulp and paper, tanneries, pharmaceuticals, dye and dye intermediates, and pesticides industries. This discharge of untreated wastewater has caused a lot of damage to the environment, the aquatic life as well as the wellbeing of humans. The contaminants in the water make it unsuitable for various purposes, such as causing a threat to human health through bioaccumulation. Another major cause for contamination of water apart from industries is water emerging from domestic sources, this discharge from domestic sewage and its effluents into the lake leads to deposition of organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus causing eutrophication. The effluents change various Physico-chemical parameters like colour, odour, alkalinity, chloride, hardness, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, pH, electrical conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO) total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) anions and trace element. Accumulation of heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Co, was found in the river samples. Irregular supply of water, low pressure, inadequacy, and poor quality are some problems regularly faced by the public. Many such households are now investing in water filtration systems to avoid drinking low-quality water.
Is tap water safe for households in Hyderabad?
The rapid population, urbanization, and growing industrialization without proper planning and improper law enforcement are deteriorating the water resources. Even though the Government is putting in a lot of effort to change the water condition of the city, the concerned authorities must constantly scrutinize for the analysis of quality parameters seasonally and prevent point and nonpoint source pollution around the water bodies and check for eutrophication. In Hyderabad, the tap water can be safe for you to consume only if you install a water filter in your home. If the TDS levels of the water being supplied to your home are less than 500mg/litre and you are searching for an automated water purification system, then you should choose one that uses Nanotechnology. Some of the best water purifiers for home use Nanotechnology which revolves around the use of an intelligent semi permeable membrane with pore size in the nano scale of less than 10 nanometres surround by a charge field, which enables the membrane to distinguish between impurities and essential minerals to provide you with the purest mineralised water.
