UNDERGROUND WATER

Groundwater sources can be either shallow or deep below the ground surface and saturates the pores space in the subsurface. Fresh water makes up only about 3% of the earth’s entire water supply, and up to 40% of the world’s drinking water is drawn from groundwater in boreholes and dug wells. Since the source of water is below the ground surface, it has a high tendency to be contaminated from the use of fertilisers and pesticides, spills from industrial operation and leaking from landfills. The contaminations are also dependant on the distance and location of the water source from the said infiltration into the ground.

The three typical treatment method used for groundwater are physical, biological and chemical. In physical method, air is used to strip the water clean. Another common method of treatment is known as pump and treat, which physically collect water from the ground and is treated via biological or chemical means. On another hand, biological method uses organic matters, microorganisms and plants to breakdown certain compounds of industrial waste. This method is convenient because the contaminated water may not need to be removed to be treated. In chemical method, carbon absorption, ion exchange, chemical precipitation, and oxidation are some of the ways to clean the groundwater by the means of chemical use.