Standards of potable water

STANDARDS OF POTABLE WATER

The latest Indian standards for potable or drinking water have been published in IS10500 : 2012 amended on 01 June 2015. This was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) after the finalized draft was approved by the Food and Agricultural Division Council. The standard was formulated with the objective of assessing the quality of water resources and to check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply.

The standard specifies the acceptable limits and permissible limits in the absence of alternate source. The standard also specifies the pesticide residue limits and test methods based on consumption apttern, persistence and manufacturing data based on WHO guidelines. 

Routine survey of drinking water supplies should be carried out by authorities to understand the risk of pathogens and adopt proper control measures.