Drinking water treatment for underground low redox water

Water is a resource of prime importance. We cannot think of life without water. Life is said to have originated in water millions and millions year ago. Life on the earth would not have been evolved without water. Among various uses of water, drinking water is the most crucial issue. Although, it seems that ground water is more protected than surface water against pollution, it is still subjected to pollutants significantly whether it is natural or manmade. So the treat of water quality is also a serious concern. Increasing threat of pollution due to the man-made activities and natural phenomena, threat towards the quality of available fresh water is also rising at a faster rate. This is a warning to the world to start seriously thinking about water conservation and management and time delay in conservation and management aspects may create a tremendous treat on environment and social hazards originating from water. Arsenic pollution in ground water is a global problem and not a new problem. Many countries, in the world had experienced danger of arsenic pollution in water and sacrificed many lives. Causes of arsenic pollution were different in different countries. However, the main source of arsenic occurrence in water had been thought to be due to the degradation of natural environment. Iron and Manganese are not hazardous for the health but also they have tremendous bad effects on environment. Many countries in the world also had experienced for excess iron & manganese contamination in ground water. Sources of iron and manganese are also different in different countries. This paper describes overall situation in ground water contamination by arsenic, iron& manganese globally mainly focuses on sources of contamination, mechanisms of mobilization of those pollutants in ground water, their effects on human health& environment and enlisting the existing technologies for removing those pollutants, their comparison, applicability, and effectiveness. It also describes arsenic contamination in Bangladesh as a most vulnerable country. However, unless reasons and sources of arsenic, iron and manganese pollution are found out, and thereby an appropriate scientific management with a view to protect the spreading of those pollutants is thought, it would be difficult to combat the problem and the risk as well. All the available technologies are discussed in order to get idea about selecting the best treatment methods for removal of those pollutants. A combined design approach of the treatment plant also discussed in order to remove the arsenic, iron, manganese with excess ammonia and methane from ground water simultaneously to a desired limit. As water is an integral part of life and has been well recognized by nectar, conservation and management of water both of its quantity and quality, on sound lines are necessary for the general well-being of all life. A proper water-shed management and conjunctions use of ground water may perhaps be an approach. But obviously it needs extensive research for solving these problems by improving the existing technologies and by innovation of new technology.