Often, when a doctor talks about water, the discussions focus on the purity of water, rather the lack of it, and its implications, such as water- borne diseases. This report attempts to raise a few issues, related to water quality and its role in the transmission of diseases, but also from a larger public health perspective.

At the outset we need to remember the fact that the very need to purify water reflects the degraded nature of the environment and the state of our natural resources. It is also important to point out that while the quality of water is crucial, the amounts of water available, as well as the ease of access are crucial aspects of 'water security'.

By and large ground water, from wells and springs etc., is pure and potable. The water that seeps into the soil is purified by filtration and soil microorganisms. Many villages even today continue to survive quite comfortably with such available water. However two major sources have contaminated large tracts of water, turning what was once a life-giving natural resource into a health hazard. These are human and other animal fecal contamination of water on the one hand and industrial pollution on the other.

Ignorance leading to lack of hygienic practices, especially so in rural areas, is not the only or even the key contributor here. Rapid privatization of commons, water shortage and lack of secure land tenure have gone to make the current scenario almost unlivable for the people at large.

The other major source of contamination of water, rendering it unpotable, is industrial pollution. It is not unusual for factories to flout safety regulations in the pursuit of profit. One only has to visit the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) in Cuddalore in northern Tamil Nadu to realize that. in India, an industrial polluter is never brought to book.

The water coming out of hand pumps installed in villages adjoining the SIPCOT complex has an orange tinge to it, clearly showing the effluents from the complex are taking a toll of the groundwater sources in the region.

And it is that water all villagers in the neighborhood have to use for all their drinking water needs. One can easily imagine the long-term impact of such polluted water on the health of the villagers, but neither the promoters of the industries nor the regulatory authorities seem to bother too very much about such a situation.

Actually communities have evolved water storage and purification systems over several generations, and the importance of this purification was appreciated after the introduction of water distribution systems in urban areas, during the time of the industrial revolution.

Alongside conservation, even water purification was sought to be achieved through simple and cost-effective methods.

One of the most common methods we are aware of is boiling. The basic method involves bringing the water to a boiling point and then continuing to keep the water on a 'rolling boil' for 20 minutes.

Modernization has rendered such a commonsense approach unaffordable. Boiling has become time-, energy- and money – consuming, especially for the lower middle class daily wage and landless labourer, and even for the financially stressed and stretched middle class homemaker.