Water is considered to be a boon, but unclean drinking water is a bane, affecting millions people of the world every year. We don’t think much about how healthy or free of contaminants the water we consume is, taking for granted that the  water purifier  is doing its job. When in a hurry, we simply turn on the tap and take a glass of water to make some tea, cook rice or soak lentils. We assume the water won’t cause any harm. But that’s far from the truth.

We need to pay more attention to warnings about pollutants, toxins, bacteria and other worrisome extras turning up in drinking water. That’s because impure water can be more damaging than one can think. On the milder side, it can result in allergies, skin ailments, and diseases of the digestive system. The water may also contain harmful chemicals as well as toxins and microbes that can lead to some serious health problems. It can carry disease-causing bacteria and viruses that include cholera, giardia, and typhoid. Some of the most commonly listed problems experienced from drinking unhealthy water are gastrointestinal diseases, diarrhoea, nausea, intestinal or stomach cramps, intestinal or stomach pains and discomforts. Sometimes you may see no signs or symptoms but that does not mean there are no potential long-term effects. Contaminated drinking water can affect your gastrointestinal tract, nervous system or reproductive system, and sometimes can even cause chronic diseases such as cancer. Impure water can be deadly.

There’s enough reason to not take the water you drink for granted and do everything you can to make sure that it is 100 per cent safe. Here are four reliable methods to purify water.