1. Water capable of being safely ingested, that is, it presents physical, chemical and biological standards within the limits established as acceptable for consumption.
Grammatical category: masculine noun
in syllables: a-gua + po-ta-ble.
Drinking water
Drinking water is called fresh water that after being subjected to a purification process becomes drinking water, thus being ready for human consumption as a result of the balanced value that its minerals will give it.; In this way, the water of this type can be consumed without any restrictions.
Fresh water subjected to special treatments that make it safe and allow it to be consumed without restriction
Drinking water allows us to consume it without conditioning of any kind because it is guaranteed that due to its condition it will not have negative effects on our body.
When water is not treated, it can carry viruses, bacteria, toxic, radioactive substances, among others, which are very harmful to the health of living beings.
In order for the water to be consumed without any type of restriction, it will be necessary to submit it to a process called purification, which is precisely what will be in charge of removing, removing, any type of toxic presence and will make it a safe substance to consume without limitations.
To carry out the purification it will be necessary to carry out a physicochemical and bacteriological analysis of the source to be treated in order to choose the best technique.
purification process
Most of the time, after the capture, aluminum sulfate will be used, which facilitates the separation of particles in the flocculation, then they are decanted, filtered, and disinfected with chlorine or ozone. The confirmation that the water is already drinkable will be given when it is presented odorless, colorless and tasteless.
Also, it is common in some parts of the world for fluoride to be added to contribute to dental health.
As we know, our planet is made up of an important mass of water, however, the water suitable for the consumption of the population is little because it is only possible to use fresh water, which on earth represents forty-two million of the one thousand four hundred million of total cubic kilometers available.
The frozen areas are the ones that concentrate the greatest amount, there is a minimal part in rivers, lakes and groundwater, being the water from the water basins where it mostly arises for consumption.
The aforementioned water purification process is carried out in the water treatment plants that are located in urban centers, so that once it has been carried out accordingly, the already treated water is taken to homes through special networks that distribute it.
It is essential that in this last step of the distribution, all the passages through which the drinking water will pass are properly disinfected.
Some tips to get drinking water: use of rainwater, boiling the water from rivers or puddles and then decanting it, discarding the dirtiest or most polluting volume; boil fresh water, although in this case it will lack essential nutrients, salts and minerals for life; Using the water purification tablets, they produce clean and safe water. They must be used in exact quantities and let them settle before consuming the water.
It can consist of a way out of the step but it cannot always be drunk in this way because the consumption of the aforementioned minerals and salts would be left out.
the ph of drinking water must be between the following values 6.5 and 8.5. Generally, the controls that exist on drinking water turn out to be more rigorous than those that are carried out on bottled mineral waters, because of course, water is a substance that is accessible almost everywhere.
The danger of consuming non-potable water
The most dangerous substances for drinking water are arsenic, cadmium, zinc, chromium, nitrates and nitrites and the reasons for the non-potability of water occur as a consequence of the presence of bacteria, viruses, minerals in particulate or dissolved presentation, toxic products, deposits or suspended particles.
The absence of potable water can cause significant health problems for people who consume it directly from boreholes or streams that, of course, have not been properly treated.
Some of the most common health problems when drinking untreated water are diarrhea and cholera, which can even lead to death in young children.
This is a problem that many underdeveloped regions of the world suffer today. In Africa, for example, it is a very recurring situation that affects millions of people.
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