Water Treatment is a very crucial step in delivering ‘Drink from Tap’ with continuous 24x7.water supply.

 Water Treatment is a very crucial step in delivering ‘Drink from Tap’ with continuous 24x7.water supply. The water source availability and the quality of source raw water governs the selection of treatment method to be adopted, so as to adhere to the drinking water quality as prescribed in IS 10500.

The objective of water treatment is to produce safe and potable drinking water. But poor Operation and Maintenance (O&M) practices have, on many occasions largely contributed to decreased utility or even to an early failure of newly constructed water treatment and.supply facilities. Thus, the health and social benefits for which the facilities were designed.and implemented have not been realized. Capital investment have been wholly or partially lost and resources are expended on the premature replacement of equipment or for therehabilitation of facilities, before they have been in operation for the full span of their useful.lives. Hence, proper O&M is very essential for deriving the benefits continuously from the investments made.

This chapter deals with the details involved in the efficient Operation and Maintenance of.individual process units of the water treatment system and Water Treatment as a whole,

which is necessary for the trouble-free unit operation and processes on a 24x7 basis toachieve “Drink from Tap”.

Water Treatment Plant Operation refers to the timely day-to-day “running” of a watertreatment processes under normal or emergency conditions. Water Treatment Plant.maintenance is defined as the art of keeping the structures, equipment and the plant, as a.whole in an optimum working order and proper functioning without any foreseen.interruption.

Maintenance involves (a) scheduled or planned activities under normal operating conditions to maintain water treatment process units including its associated equipment and.assets essential to suitably treat the water for further disinfection and supplying safe water

Lto consumers; and (b) unscheduled activities during unforeseen or emergency situations to bring the water supply system back to normal operating conditions. There are two types of.maintenance viz., Preventive Maintenance and Corrective Maintenance.

Preventive maintenance constitutes routine works and precautions to be taken periodically to prevent the system from mal-functioning by mechanical adjustments, repairs,

corrective action and planned maintenance.

Corrective maintenance involves carrying out works related to break down, which has

actually occurred by replacements, correction of defects etc Preventive maintenance is more economical than corrective maintenance and it provide lluninterrupted service and avoids the need for corrective maintenance.

The operation and maintenance activities for the water treatment plant require engagementof operational and maintenance personnel that basically includes the Plant-in-Charge,.