CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mayur Roy of class XII, sec: B of

Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya has completed the
investigatory project on Water Treatment Plant and has
successfully obtained the basic knowledge of :
 Working of a Water Treatment Plant
 Chemical and physical media involved
Under my guidance and support during the academic year
2019-2020 towards the fulfillment of Chemistry Practical
evaluation in AISSCE 2020.

Signature of External Examiner

Signature of Internal Examiner

Department of Chemistry,
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are gladly thankful to our Principal Maharaj as well as our

chemistry teachers Mr. Ranajoy Datta and Mr. Dipak Kr.
Kundu and our faculties who gave to students a great
guidance regarding training and instructed them the
importance of training in civil field. So we students decided
to take a visit to water treatment plant which is situated in
Bardowali, Agartala, Tripura (W).
We are especially thankful to Mr. Gouranga Chakraborty, the
Junior engineer of 4MGD – Surface Water Treatment Plant,
Bardowali, Agartala, because he granted us permission for
taking visit at treatment plant and Mr. Abhijit Bhattacharya,
who gave us proper guidance for the practical based
approach towards learning.

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 PREFACE

As a part of the course curriculum and to deepen and widen

practical knowledge in the concept of Water Treatment in
Urban Plants, on 28th November, 2019 at 11.30am I, with a
group of 9 students conducted a visit at water treatment
plant, Bardowali, Agartala.

Completing the project helped us know more about the

water Treatment Plant in our very own city Agartala. Working
with other team members taught us the importance of
cooperation, coordination and synergy. I hope you will find
our project report interesting. All constructive criticism and
feedback is cordially invited.

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 CONTENTS

1. Purpose of visit

2. Introduction

3. General Information

4. Methodology

4.1 Sample analysis

4.2 Steps of Surface Water Treatment

5. Conclusion

6. Attributions and references

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1.Purpose Of Visit

Our main purpose for this visit was to gain the practical
knowledge about how raw water is treated and how water is
distributed in different village. By this visit students can be
familiar with industrial environment and get knowledge of
different units of water treatment plant. Also in 12th grade
topics like Water and waste water Engineering requires
knowledge about how components of filtration plant are
constructed, so it is very much convenient to see all the
practical and components in real time work environment.

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2.Introduction
According to M.G. Khublaryan (1988), surface waters could be
regarded as including all inland waters permanently or intermittently
occurring on the Earth surface. Surface water includes water
obtained from dams, streams and rivers. It can be contrasted with
groundwater and atmospheric water. It is replenished by
precipitation and by recruitment from ground-water. It is lost
through evaporation, seepage into the ground where it becomes
ground-water, used by plants for transpiration, extracted by mankind
for agriculture, living, industry etc. or discharged to the sea where it
becomes saline. These sources may be more easily contaminated by
animal and human wastes, and chemicals from runoff. Surface water
may also be at risk of algal blooms.
Water Treatment is, collectively, the industrial scale process that
makes water more acceptable for an end- use, which may be
drinking, industry, or medicine. Water treatment is unlike small-scale
water sterilization that campers and other people in wilderness areas
practice. Water treatment should remove existing water
contaminants or so reduce their concentration that their water
becomes fit for its desired end-use, which may be safely returning
used water to the environment. For most people, the term ‘water
treatment’ refers to the treatment of polluted water, where the
pollution could be from human waste or other sources of pollution.
Only a small, but specialized sector in the field of water technology is
the design, construction and operation of water treatment plants.
There are numerous papers and books where the various procedures
of treatment steps, the different types of reactors, the process
dynamics and reactions are described in detail. The purpose of
treatment is the provision of safe drinking water. Safe drinking water
is water with microbial chemical and physical characteristics that
meet WHO guidelines or national standards on drinking water
quality.

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3.General Information
The 4MGD – SWTP, Bardowali, Agartala is run and maintained by
“DRINKING WATER & SANITATION WING OF PWD”. It was
established in 2000. The plant supplies water to 8 overhead and 1
underground reservoirs serving about 400,000 people per day in the
city of Agartala.
The source of water is Howrah river, Tripura. It is approved by Water
Resources (WS) Department of PWD.
The plant runs 22 hours a day and treats about 4 million gallons of
water per day.
Drinking Water & Sanitation (DWS) wing of PWD has been created
w.e.f. 1st April, 2008 after reorganization of the erstwhile Public
Health Engineering wing of PWD and merging the functioning of
managing spot sources & rural sanitation of the Rural Development
Department. Now PWD(DWS) has been given responsibility of
implementation of all drinking water supply schemes and rural
sanitation works for the entire State of Tripura. The mission of PWD
(DWS) is to enhance quality of life of the people by providing
sustainable safe water & sanitation facilities and services along with
promoting hygiene practices among the people.
In order to achieve this, PWD (DWS) has set the objective of
providing safe and adequate drinking water and sanitation facilities
to all households in all habitations of the State in a time bound
manner For this purpose a range of schemes to tap both surface,
ground and rain water are under implementation which include,
surface water treatment plants, deep tube wells, small bore tube
wells, spot sources like ordinary hand pump(OHP), mark-II/III, RCC
well, sanitary well, masonry well etc. and roof top as well as
community rain water harvesting structures. The excessive iron
content in ground water poses a major challenge to water supply
system in Tripura.
Besides, as per decision of the Government of Tripura, initiatives
have been taken to ensure supply of safe drinking water and
sanitation facilities to all Schools and Angwanadi centers of the State.

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4.Methodology

4.1. Sample Analysis

Before the collected raw water is subjected to treatment, a
sample is taken and tested by following procedures.
Tests was conducted in laboratory and the following
parameters were involved which are Hardness, Taste and
Odor, Color, Turbidity, pH, BOD, COD and NH3-N. BOD and
COD were tested directly on arrival in the laboratory.
However, curing must be done as soon as possible. If
possible, to plan conservation strategies simultaneously tests
conducted BOD. This is to avoid changes in the content, while
accelerating the process of testing parameters. All steps is
done with careful plan.

4.1.1 Turbidity
Turn on the turbidity meter. Standardize the meter using the
0.02 NTU Reference Standards. If possible, allow samples to
come to room temperature before analysis. In cold weather,
it may be necessary to move the turbidity meter indoors to
measure sample turbidity. Mix sample to thoroughly disperse
the solids. Wait until air bubbles disappear before dispensing
sample into a cuvette.
Gently agitate the sample to re-suspend any heavier particles
without introducing air bubbles. Fill a clean, indexed sample
cuvette to within approximately 1⁄2” (12 mm) of the top with
a sample aliquot directly from the churn splitter or from a

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sample bottle. Place the cap on the cuvette and carefully
clean any condensation from the outside of the cuvette with
a lint free wiper such as Kim wipes. (Condensation may be
prevented by coating the outside of the cuvette with a small
amount of silicon oil). Place the sample cuvette into the well,
align with the locator pin on the optical well, and take the
NTU reading directly from the display. Select the appropriate
display range for best resolution.Read the turbidity within 3-5
seconds.

4.1.2 pH
The pH was gotten using a probe and a meter. The probe and
meter is calibrated according to the manufacturer’s
directions. Use of two buffers (pH 7 and 10) for calibration is
recommended. The water sample can be collected in any
glass or plastic container. Collect enough water samples so
that you can submerge the tip of the probe. Rinse the probe
with sample water before placing it in the sample. Place the
probe in the sample and wait for the meter to equilibrate. If
the meter needs to be manually adjusted to correct for
temperature – you’ll know it does if it has an extra
temperature knob – adjust it to the temperature of the
sample before allowing it to equilibrate. The meter will have
come to equilibrium when the signal becomes steady. If it is
taking a long time to equilibrate, you may try gently stirring
the probe. However, do not agitate the sample since this may
cause changes in the pH. Read the pH directly from the meter
according to the manufacturer’s directions.

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4.1.3 Taste and Odor
For getting the taste of the water sample , the water sample
is poured into a beaker . The water sample is then warmed to
23C̊ .After this, use the front and back of your tongue to the
sample and immediately spit out.
Using the threshold method, two water samples are poured
into a conical flask. The first water sample is a clean source of
water /odor free while the second water sample is the one
we are trying to test or the water sample that has odor . The
water is then warmed to a room temperature of 23̊C. Dilute
the odor free water sample with the water sample that has
odor. After it has been diluted it is stirred and measured. The
diluted water sample is then titrated with the suspected
water sample. After this has been done, you will observe by
using your nose to smell.

4.1.4 Dissolved Oxygen

The test for determining the amount of oxygen present in a
sample of water is to expose the water sample for 4 hours at
a temperature of 27̊C with 10% acid solution of potassium
permanganate. The quantity of oxygen absorbed can be
calculated.

4.1.5 Hardness
The water sample is poured into a conical flask and boiled.
Next add 1.0ml of ammonia buffer to the water sample. Then
add 3 drops of eriochrome indicator. The water sample is

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titrated with a standard EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tra-acetic
Acid) solution. The color of the indicator changes from wine
red to blue.

4.1.5 Biochemical Oxygen Demand

BOD is tested in 5days period and placed in incubator with a
temperature of 20±1 C ̊ to determine rates of oxygen uptake.
Dissolved oxygen is measured initially and after incubation,
and the BOD is calculated from the difference between intial
and final DO by using DO meter. Because the initial DO is
determined shortly after the dilution is made, all oxygen
uptake occurring after the measurement is included in the
BOD measurement (Martone, 1976). The apparatus used in
this testing are air incubator or water bath and BOD bottle
with 350mL volume while BOD nutrient used as a reagent
which consists of phosphate buffer solution, magnesium
sulfate, calcium chloride, ferric chloride, sulphuric acid,
sodium hyroxide and sodium sulphite solution.

4.1.6 Chemical Oxygen Demand

Before conducting COD testing, a blank samples need to be
prepared as a control sample to ensure that no unneeded
organic material added to the samole to be measured. COD
reagent was added into the specified volume of distilled
water to prepare a blank sample while distilled water can be
replaced with water sample in order to prepare the
measuring sample. Both blank and water samples was heated
by a temperature of 1 5̊ C0 with a period of 2 hours duration.

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After that, COD concentration was measured by DR5000 and
the oxygen demand in the blank sample is subtracted from
the COD for blank sample to ensure accurate measurement
of organic matter.

4.1.7 Ammoniacal Nitrogen

NH3-N is created as one of the intermediate compounds
during metabolism and when combined with organic
nitrogen, they had been recognized as the pollution
indicators (Weiner et. al, 2003). Same as COD testing, a blank
sample was prepared in order to control the concentration of
NH3-N value. Several reagents such as Polyvinyl Alcohol,
Mineral Stabilizer and Nessler Reagent were added into
distilled water and samples and the concentration was
determined by data recorded from DR5000.

4.1.8 Total Suspended Solids

A volume of 50 mL sample is used to determine
concentration of suspended solid from each sampling
stations. Each sample is weighted as initial weight before it
can be filtered by filter paper. The filtration apparatus was
set up with filter paper and vacuum to suck the samples and
the paper was transferred to aluminum weighing dish before
it can be placed into oven with 104± ̊C1 within 1 hour. Once it
is achieved at room temperature, the paper was weighted to
determine the final weight. The final reading is subtracted
with initial weight then divided by the volume of samples
used in order to determine the concentration of total
suspended solids.

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4.1.9Adopted Surface Water Treatment
The purpose of chemical treatment is to remove any
undesirable contaminants and produce water that is safe and
acceptable to consumers. Undesirable impurities can be
removed, using conventional treatment, including
Pretreatment, Coagulation, Flocculation, Sedimentation, and
Filtration.

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4.2 Steps Of Surface Water
Treatment
4.2.1 Aeration
Exchange of gases between the water and the atmosphere
takes place during this process. Elimination of foul smell and
increase in amount of dissolved oxygen are the basic goals
here. The aerator used in this plant is a cascade type aerator.
After that, the pH is adjusted and water is rapidly mixed with
aluminum sulfate (alum), a coagulant that helps the
impurities stick together to form bigger particles called floc.

4.2.2 Chlorination
Chlorine is also added to water for the pre-chlorination
process in which bacteria is killed in water.

4.2.3 Flocculation
After rapid mixing, the water flows into flocculation basins,
where the flow of water is slowed and the floc has time to
grow bigger.

4.2.4 Sedimentation
Sedimentation is a physical treatment process used to reduce
the turbidity of the water. Suspended materials in water,

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such as particles of sand, clay, and other materials can be
substantially removed simply by settling the water. This can
be done by using a natural reservoir, a settling pond, or a
large tank. The sedimentation process can be accelerated
through the use of coagulants and flocculants. These are
natural (e.g. Moringa) and synthetic (e.g. purifier of water,
PUR) chemicals that change the electrical charges of the
suspended materials. This allows the particles to join
together, thereby increasing their mass so that they settle to
the bottom of the container. Since bacteria and viruses are
often attached to particle surfaces, the removal of particles
through sedimentation will produce a marked reduction in
bacterial concentrations. The water flows into sedimentation
basins, where the heavy floc particles sink to the bottom and
are removed.
Both the processes of flocculation and sedimentation are
done in a humongous device called the Clariflocculator.

4.2.5 Filtration
Filtration is commonly used after sedimentation to further
reduce turbidity and remove pathogens. Filtration is a
physical process which involves passing water through filter
media. Filters remove pathogens in several ways. These
include straining, where the particles or larger pathogens
such as worms become trapped in the small spaces between
the grains of filter media; adsorption, where pathogens
become attached to the filter media; or biological processes,
where pathogens die naturally or the microorganisms living
in the filter consume the pathogens.

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The water travels through large filters made of sand, gravel,
and anthracite. Filtration removes any remaining microscopic
particles and microorganisms.
Backwash water contains the solids removed from the filters,
and contractors. The floc particles are separated out in
settling tanks and clarifier.

4.2.6 De-Chlorination
The clean water from the clarifier is DE-chlorinated (removal
of chlorine from water) using sodium bi sulphate before it is
distributed to villages.

4.2.7 Disinfection
Finally, the water is disinfected to protect it against bacteria.
chlorine dioxide and a combination of chlorine and ammonia
called chloramines used to disinfect the water.

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Diagrammatic representation of a Water
Treatment Plant

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5. Conclusion
From this visit, we get the information and practical
knowledge about the treatment of raw water and
components used in treatment plant. And we were also able
to grasp the know-how about detailed filtration process.

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6. Attributions and References
The following authentic and trustworthy sources were
referred to for the completion of this project:

I. www.dwstripura.in
II. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_treatment
III. SSWM.info on Linkedin!
IV. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280938
834
V. Handbook of water and wastewater treatment
plant operations by Frank R. Spellman

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