Water is life and around 3/4th of our body weight comprises water. Water plays a very important role in determining our overall health. Water pollution is on a rise. There are many reasons behind water contamination such as sewage and water waste, dumping, industrial waste, acid rain, oil pollution and of course global warming. There are unending uses of water apart from drinking. These can be categorized in the following areas:

Domestic Uses Everyday household chores such as cooking, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, watering gardens etc.

Commercial Uses

These include water uses in office buildings, hotels, restaurants, schools, colleges, airports, railway stations, bus depots, petrol pumps, civilian and military properties.

Industrial Uses

Major water using industries include steel, paper, chemical, and petroleum refining for processing, cleaning. transportation, dilution, and cooling in manufacturing facilities. Many a time the same water is reused for different purposes.

Irrigation Uses

Major irrigation water uses is applicable to farms, orchard, pasture, and horticultural crops. Other uses include irrigation of pastures, for frost and freeze protection, chemical applications, crop cooling, harvesting, and leaching of salts from the crop root. Some non-agricultural activities include self-supplied water to irrigate public and private properties such as golf clubs, parks, nurseries, cemeteries, turf farms, and others.

Livestock Uses

These include stock animals, feedlots, dairies, fish farms etc. It is also needed for the production of red meat, eggs, milk, poultry, and wool and for horses, rabbits, dogs, and other pets.

Mining Uses

These include extraction of naturally occurring minerals such as coal and ores, crude petroleum, natural gas. The main areas of mining water use include quarrying, mining such as crushing, screening, washing, flotation, and others.

Public Supply Uses

These include water withdrawn by public and private water suppliers such as municipal corporations for delivery to domestic, commercial and industrial uses.

Thermoelectric Power Uses

These include water uses in the production of electric power generated with heat.

We always have a provision of storing water in domestic and commercial water tanks to meet an uninterrupted demand and supply of water. It was necessary to remind you of the never-ending uses of water before we continue to learn the testing of water quality.

To be Continued…….