RO Water Purifiers None of these 10 makes it 100% safe

The quality of drinking water is very important for human health – and today this is truer than ever before. Truer because not only are our water reserves depleting and getting polluted, but also access to safe water is unequal. The water we receive from rivers/underground reserves is polluted with heavy metals, bacteria and pathogenic organisms. (It is reported that groundwater in one-third of India’s 600 districts is not fit for drinking as the concentration of fluoride, iron, salinity and arsenic exceeds the tolerance levels.) Some of us boil the water before drinking it; some of us buy packaged water regularly; some of us invest in water filters and purifiers. The last mentioned is a relatively expensive proposition but consumers are going for it because it is considered to be the best bet against unsafe or contaminated water. As of today, the market for reverse osmosis (RO) water purifiers is growing tremendously and various brands are available in this category. At the same time, even as water filters/purifiers with latest technologies – reverse osmosis and ultraviolet (UV) – have been developed, conformation to guidelines and standards is not equal. These new, advanced units have improved the quality of water, but is their potability in sync with Indian Standard or WHO guidelines? Do we, as consumers, know what impurities is a water purifier supposed to eliminate? Do we even know what these impurities are, not counting the usual suspects like bacteria and heavy metals?

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