Water purification is the process of removing undesirable substances, chemicals, suspended solids, and harmful gases from water. The main aim of purifying water is to make it fit for drinking purposes. Also, the purified water can be used for a variety of things like using that water for pharmaceutical things, chemical, industrial, or pharmacological applications. Water can be purified by a variety of processes. They may be physical processes like sedimentation, filtration, and distillation. Or chemical processes like flocculation and chlorination. Water can also be purified using biological processes like sand filters or biologically active carbon. Water can also be purified by using electromagnetic radiation using ultraviolet light.

Water purification may reduce the number of suspended particles, bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. Visual inspection cannot decide if the water is pure or not. Below are some processes that can help in the purification of water.

Boiling– Water can be treated by the process of boiling, but that is not enough. It may filter out bigger particles from the water but cannot separate contaminants that are present from an unknown source.Chlorination- It is a much older technique that was used to purify water. This is the process in which a mild bleach with approximately 5% chlorine is added to the water. This mixture acts as an oxidant and kills micro-organisms, making water reliable for consumption.Distillation- A water purification technique that requires collecting condensed water after evaporation. This process ensures that water is free of all the suspended contaminants. Solar Purification- This process involves filling a plastic bottle with water and keeping it horizontally in the sunlight. The ultraviolet radiation of the sun acts on this water making it safe for use. When the plastic bottle is filled with water, it is shaken a bit so as to activate oxygen in it. This process effectively kills the bacteria and viruses present in the water.