Centre to bar domestic RO systems in places where tap water meets BIS norms

News: Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change has published a draft notification that prohibits users from installing membrane-based water purification, mainly reverse osmosis, systems in their homes if the water meets the Bureau of Indian Standards’ drinking water norms.

Facts:

Membrane-based water purification

• It is a process that removes unwanted constituents from water using a membrane. Different techniques include:

o   Membrane Filtration – Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration

o   Reverse Osmosis – Nanofiltration/Membrane Softening

Reverse Osmosis: It occurs when water moves through a semi-permeable membrane in the direction opposite to that for natural osmosis. This happens when the water is pushed under greater pressure than the osmotic pressure

Osmosis: It is a phenomenon where water/ solvent flows from a dilute (less concentrated) solution through a semi-permeable membrane to a higher concentrated solution.

Additional Information:

Bureau of Indian Standards

• It is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• It was established in 1986 and is headquartered in New Delhi.