| dc.description.abstract | The paper describes an investigation into the efficiency of the water treatment process
used in the Mullaitivu well field in Sri Lanka. The well field experiences significant
groundwater extraction, approximately 1,440,000 liters per day, due to developments and
resettlements in the area over the past decade. However, the groundwater quality does
not meet the standards set in SLS 614: 2013 on a few occasions. The treatment process
includes a fountain-type aerator with four drops with varying heights and vertical-flow
roughing filters. The water then passes through four medial filter layers in the roughing
filters, each with different particle size and layer thickness. To assess the effectiveness of
the treatment process, water samples were collected at regular intervals of 6 hours during
72 hours of continuous operation. The samples were taken before and after aeration
and after passing through the roughing filters. The selected water quality parameters
tested in the study were turbidity, color, total iron, and manganese. The results showed
that the treatment process significantly removed color and total iron from the raw water
with removal efficiencies of 84% and 88% respectively. Additionally, the treated water’s
turbidity was well below the threshold limit of 2 NTU in 100% of the treated samples, the
treated manganese level was below the limit of 0.1 mg/l, and the treated total iron level
was below the limit of 0.3 mg/l specified in SLS 614:2013 for drinking water. Based on
the findings, the paper recommends including pre-chlorination in the treatment process
to enhance oxidation and increase the total iron and manganese removal efficiency. | en_US |
