Water Testing

Which standard applies

• IS 10500 — drinking water, the general standard for potability
• IS 14543 — packaged drinking water, other than natural mineral water
• IS 13428 — packaged natural mineral water
• Effluent discharge standards set by the pollution control board for your industry
• Process water requirements set by the FSSAI for food manufacturing
• Swimming pool and recreational water standards

What is actually tested

A full potability panel covers three groups of parameters, and a sample can pass one and fail another.

• Physical — colour, odour, taste, turbidity and total dissolved solids
• Chemical — pH, hardness, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, sulphate and alkalinity
• Heavy metals — arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and iron
• Microbiological — total coliforms, E. coli and total plate count
• Pesticide residues, where the source or use requires it

Sampling decides the result

A test is only as good as the sample. Microbiological samples must be collected in sterile containers, kept cold, and reach the laboratory within a short window — commonly within a few hours — or the result is meaningless.

Sampling point matters too. Water tested at the source can pass while water at the tap fails, because contamination enters through storage tanks and distribution lines. Where the purpose is to prove potability at the point of use, that is where the sample must be taken.

How we handle it

1. 1 Establishing the requirement We confirm which standard and which parameters apply, since testing against the wrong standard produces a report nobody will accept.
2. 2 Sampling Samples are collected in the correct containers from the correct point, with the chain of custody recorded.
3. 3 Transport Samples reach the laboratory within the permitted window, refrigerated where microbiological parameters are involved.
4. 4 Analysis The accredited laboratory tests the sample against the applicable standard.
5. 5 Report A signed report is issued showing each parameter against its permissible limit.
6. 6 Interpreting the result Where a parameter fails, we explain what it indicates and what treatment would address it.

Frequently asked questions