Water Resources: Production, Storage, Distribution and Quality of Tap and Bottled Water
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This document discusses the process of production, storage, distribution and quality of tap and bottled water in Kuwait. It covers the problems encountered during the production, storage and distribution of water, quality of tap water with reference to WHO, KEPA and EPA standards, quality of bottled water and health concerns.
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WATER RESOURCES1 WATER RESOURCES Student Name Student Number Professor’s Name University Name Date of Submission
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WATER RESOURCES2 Part 1: The Process of Production of Water in Kuwait Kuwait is a state located in a dry area with little access to fresh water. It also lacks adequate rainfall and sufficient distribution of rivers and lakes. Similarly, underground water is insufficient and it is for this reason that the state rely on seawater as a source of potable water. The process of production begins with desalination through multistage flash (MSF) plants. This water is then mixed with brackish water (5-10%) producing a blend. This blend of water is then fed into the treatment plant consisting of chlorination and pumping mechanism. Chlorination involves adding chlorine to kill harmful organisms like bacteria. Additionally, caustic soda is added to the disinfected water to maintain pH to slightly about 8.0 which correlates to the international standards. The pumping system directs water into a distribution plant which consists of underground reservoirs, pipelines, elevated storage tanks, filling stations and pipelines. Road tankers obtain water from the filling stations and distribute water in areas not connected with the pipeline network(Al-Ruwaih, Alhumoud, and Al-Mutairi, 2019). Problems Encountered During the Production, Storage and Distribution During the distillation process, water contains little supply of mineral and organic making it chemically aggressive. It is in this process that a red brown rust, ferric hydroxide is produced. This compound produces the red-brown color in water flowing in iron pipes. As opposed to disinfecting the water, the process of water production release chemical residues known as disinfection by-products. They are produced when organic and inorganic compounds present in water react with the disinfectant. Disinfection plants utilizing ozone are known to produce bromate, nitriles, ketones and aldehydes (Humood F. Al-mudhaf, 2019.
WATER RESOURCES3 During the storage and distribution process, the major problem encountered are the physicochemical contaminants. These contaminants develop as the produced water come into contact with the storage and transport facilities. A majority of the reported contaminants in Kuwait were located on the points of consumption. In these points lead is a major contaminant arising from the water coolers and from male and female fingernails (Humood F. Al-mudhaf, 2019). Quality of Tap Water With Reference To WHO, KEPA and EPA Standards First, the physical parameters to be attained are pH, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids. The pH of the tap water should range from 6.5-8.5 according to WHO guidelines. Total dissolved solids should not be more than 500 mg/L as dictated by USEPA standards. However, there is no minimum value for electrical conductivity (Humood F. Al- mudhaf, 2019). Chemical parameters for tap water is the concentrations of anions and cations. Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+are major cations. The agreed value for Ca2+as required by WHO is 200 mg/l. 50 mg/l is required for Mg2+by WHO guidelines. KUEPA requires K+to have a concentration of 10 mg/l while WHO requires a concentration of 12 mg/l. The major anions are Cl-, F-, Br-, SO42- and NO32-. Cl-is required to have a concentration of 200 mg/l required by WHO. The concentration for F-should be below 1.5 mg/l outlined in the WHO health guidelines. The concentration for sulfate should be 250 mg/l as required by WHO standards. The KUEPA and WHO guidelines have provided a concentration of 50 mg/l for nitrates (Humood F. Al-mudhaf, 2019).
WATER RESOURCES4 Part 2: Quality of Bottled Water Samples from the three samples of bottled water showed minimum differences in the composition of the major ions (Ca+2, K+, Na+and Mg+2). It was found that the concentration of sodium in tap water was higher than in the local and imported water. Fluoride content in local bottled water was five times lower than in imported water while it was five and half times lower in tap water. Chlorine also shows a significant variation in its concentration. It was 22 times higher in tap water than in local and imported brands. The rest of the values are shown in the table below. Studies have shown that bottles are capable of contaminating the water. Lead and zinc elements were found as contaminants on glass bottles. As a result of storage, toluene, xylene, styrene among others were found to have contaminated bottled water. Similarly, volatile compounds caused polystyrene to contaminate the bottled water. Another process which
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WATER RESOURCES5 contributed to contamination was adsorption on the wall of the bottle (Alsulaili, Al-Harbi and Al-Tawari, 2019). Health Concerns The presence of trace elements in the bottled water pose serious health problems to the consumers. These elements introduce chronic diseases to the consumers. Some of these diseases are kidney disorders, heart diseases, diseases of the nervous system and different types of cancer. Nevertheless, large concentration of trace elements like Zn, As, and B enter water as a result of flow through natural geological features. In order to protect the health of the population, proper monitoring and control of these elements must be ensured (Alsulaili, Al-Harbi and Al-Tawari, 2019).
WATER RESOURCES6 References Al-Ruwaih, F., Alhumoud, J. and Al-Mutairi, S. (2019).Quality of potable water in Kuwait. [online] Cabdirect.org. Available at: https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20103256834 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2019]. Alsulaili, A., Al-Harbi, M. and Al-Tawari, K. (2019).Physical and chemical characteristics of drinking water quality in Kuwait: tap vs. bottled water. [online] Kuwaitjournals.org. Available at: http://kuwaitjournals.org/jer/index.php/JER/article/view/346 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2019]. Humood F. Al-mudhaf, M. (2019).Overview of the Chemical Content of Household (Tap) Drinking Water Quality in the State of Kuwait. [online] Citeseerx.ist.psu.edu. Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.302.3287 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2019].