A Comparison between Turbidity, and Electrical Conductivity of Pond Water and RO Water in Thandalam for Enhanced Sustainability

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to check the potability of pond water and RO water. This is carried out by comparing the Electrical Conductivity (EC) and turbidity of two different sources of water. Materials and methods: Twenty number of samples from a local pond and potable water sources were tested for turbidity and electrical conductivity using turbidity meter and conductivity meter, respectively. Results and Discussion: On performing an independent samples t-test on the two groups considered, it is observed that there exists a significant difference between the turbidity and the EC (p <0.05). Turbidity was higher in pond water (21.20 ± 2.51) than that of RO water (6.55 ± 0.33). The concentration of EC is also higher for pond water (1.67 ± 0.35) than that of RO water (0.15 ± 0.33). Conclusion: This study shows that the pond water is not potable when compared to RO water. The pond water requires treatment prior to domestic use in order to improve sustainability.