Various stages in water treatment are- Preliminary Treatment, Coagulation, Flocculation, Clarification, Softening and Stabilization, Filtration, Fluoridation and Disinfection. We will now discuss all these stages in detail.

Preliminary treatment or pretreatment is a physical, chemical or mechanical process used on water before it undergoes the main treatment process. During preliminary treatment water is passed through a screen to remove objects like rocks, sticks, leaves and other debris from it. Chemicals are added to control the growth of algae and pre-sedimentation settles out sand, grit and gravel from raw water.

Next comes coagulation process which eliminates microbes, silt and other suspended particles from water. In this process, a chemical like alum is mixed properly in water. The particles of alum make a bond with salts, microbes and suspended particles present in water to make a heavy particle called as floc.

Now comes flocculation, in this process the floc settles down at the bottom of the tank. The water is finally passed across a screen having very fine net to remove all the left floc.

Another name of Clarification is Sedimentation. In this process, water is stored in a large tank and left undisturbed for some time. When water is not disturbed for quite a long time, the small suspended particles in water come down at the bottom on tank. These particles go down into sludge of sediment and water above is free from all the contaminants. The sand at the bottom can be removed later on.

When water is too hard, it forms scale and causes a variety of problems in pipes. Hard water also causes laundry and washing problems because it reduces the effectiveness of soaps and detergents. On the other hand, when water is too soft, it causes corrosion in pipes. Softening and stabilization stage helps to maintain a desirable balance between hardness and softness. This is accomplished by removing undesirable minerals from hard water and adding required minerals to soft water.

A final filtration stage occurs in order to remove any additional sediment that is still present in water. A fine screen is used during filtration for removal of tiny particles, microorganisms and any other contaminant that is left out during early stages. After this step, you will get highly purified water.

Lastly In fluoridation, fluoride (F-) is added to water. It is an efficient and cost effective process that helps in reducing tooth decay. Fluoride can be used in powder form as well as solution. Disinfection is a process of killing all the harmful organisms from water. Mostly chlorine is used for this purpose. Water is now ready to be packed in bottles or tanks.

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