WHO Guidelines For Drinking Water

WHO produces international norms on water quality and human health in the form of guidelines that are used as the basis for regulation and standard setting, in developing and developed countries worldwide. The quality of drinking water is a powerful environmental determinant of health. Assurance of drinking water safety is a foundation for the prevention and control of waterborne diseases. The guidelines developed by WHO are prepared through a vast global consultative process involving WHO member states (India is the member state), national authorities and international agencies, in consultation with the WHO Expert Advisory Panel.

Parameters	Standard limits as per WHO guidelines (mg/L)
Acrylamide	0.0005
Alachor	0.02
Aldicarb	0.01
Aldrin and Dieldrin	0.00003
Ammonia	1.5
Antimony	0.02
Arsenic	0.01
Atrazine	0.002
Barium	0.7
Benzene	0.01
Benzo(?)pyrene	0.0007
Boron	0.5
Bromate	0.01
Bromodichloromethane (BDCM)	0.06
Bromoform	0.1
Cadmium	0.003
Carbofuran	0.007
Carbon tetrachloride	0.004
Chlorate	0.7
Chlordane	0.0002
Chloramines	0.5 - 1.5
Chloride	200 - 300
Chlorine	5
Chlorite	0.7
Chloroform	0.3
Chlorotoluron	0.03
Chlorpyrifos	0.03
Chromium	0.05
Colour in drinking water	No visible colour
Copper	2.0
Cyanazine	0.0006
Cyanide	0.07
1,2-Dichlorobenzene	1.0
1,4-Dichlorobenzene	0.3
1,2-Dichloroethane	0.03
Dichloromethane	0.02
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid	0.03
DDT and metabolites	0.001
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate	0.008
1,2-Dichloroethylene	0.05
1,2-Dichloropropane	0.04
Dimethonate	0.006
1,4-Dioxane	0.05
Dissolved oxygen	No health-based guideline value is recommended
Edetic acid (EDTA)	0.6
Endrin	0.0006
Epichlorohydrin	0.0004
Ethylbenzene	0.3
Fenoprop	0.009
Fluoride	1.5
Hexachlorobutadiene	0.0006
Iron	No health-based guideline value is proposed
Isoproturon	0.009
Lead	0.01
Lindane	0.002
Manganese	0.4
Mercury	0.006
Methoxychlor	0.02
Metolachlor	0.01
Microcystin-LR	0.001
Molinate	0.006
Molybdenum	0.07
Monochloroacetate	0.02
N-Nitrosodimethylamine	0.0001
Nickel	0.07
Nitrate	50
Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)	0.2
Nitrite	3
Pendimethalin	0.02
Pentachlorophenol	0.009
Permethrin	0.3
pH	No health-based guideline value is proposed
Pyriproxyfen	0.3
Selenium	0.01
Simazine	0.002
Sulphate	No health-based guideline value has been derived
Styrene	0.02
Terbuthylazine	0.007
Tetrachloroethylene	0.04
Toluene	0.7
Total dissolved solids (TDS)	No health-based guideline value is proposed
Trichloroacetate	0.2
Trichloroethylene	0.02
2,4,6,-Trichlorophenol	0.2
Trifluralin	0.02
Trutuim	10000 Bq/L
Uranium	0.015
Vinyl chloride	0.0003
Xylenes-total	0.5
Zinc	No health-based guideline value is proposed