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Basic 2 · Science · Earth Science

Good Drinking Water

In this topic you will learn where water comes from and how to tell if it is good to drink.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

  • Name sources of water
  • State the qualities of good drinking water
  • Show ways to make water safe

What you already know

  • Living things need water (Basic 1)

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Strand
Cycles
Sub-strand
Earth Science
Indicator
B2.2.1.4.1 – Find out the qualities of good drinking water

Introduction

Water from a river may look brown. Water from a tap may look clear. Is all water safe to drink? Let us find out.

1. Sources of Water

  • tap (pipe-borne)
  • borehole
  • well
  • stream and river
  • rain

2. Qualities of Good Drinking Water

Good drinking water is
QualityMeaning
clearyou can see through it
colourlesshas no colour
odourlesshas no smell
tastelesshas no strange taste
free from dirtno particles floating
Two clear bottles, one with clean water and one with muddy water
Figure 1: Clean and dirty water Draw clean and dirty water bottles.Illustration: Sirbus

3. Making Water Safe

  • Filter it through a clean cloth.
  • Boil it and let it cool.
  • Store it in a clean, covered container.

Safety: Do not taste water samples in class.

New words

borehole
A deep hole drilled to get water.
odourless
Having no smell.
filter
To pass through cloth to remove dirt.
boil
To heat until bubbles form.

Summary

  • Water comes from taps, boreholes, wells, streams and rain.
  • Good drinking water is clear, colourless, odourless and tasteless.
  • Filtering, boiling and covering keep water safe.

Class activity: Water Check

  1. Look at the water samples in clear bottles. Do not taste them.
  2. Check each for colour, dirt and smell.
  3. Filter one sample through a clean cloth and compare.

You need: Local water samples in clear bottles, Clean cotton cloth, Covered water container

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

  1. 1. What colour is good drinking water?

    • A. Colourless
    • B. Brown
    • C. Green
    • D. Red
    Show answer
    Answer: ColourlessGood water has no colour.

  2. 2. Which makes water safer to drink?

    • A. Boiling it
    • B. Adding sand
    • C. Leaving it open
    • D. Adding soap
    Show answer
    Answer: Boiling itBoiling kills germs.

  3. 3. Good drinking water has no smell.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueIt is odourless.

  4. 4. Brown water is always safe to drink.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: FalseIt may have dirt and germs.

  5. 5. A deep hole drilled to get water is a ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: boreholeBoreholes give underground water.

  6. 6. Write two ways to make water safe to drink.

    Show answer
    Answer: Any two: filter, boil, store covered.These remove dirt and germs.

Homework

  1. Find out where your family gets drinking water from. How is it kept clean?