Water using for mixing and curing of concrete or mortar should be free from deleterious chemical substances, which are likely to exert appreciable influence on hardening and strength development of cement mortar or concrete. In practice, very often, a greater control on the properties of cement and aggregate is exercised, but the control on the quality of water is often neglected.

A popular yardstick to the suitability of water for cement mortar or concrete is that, if the water is fit for drinking, it is fit for making cement mortar or concrete also. However, this doesn’t appear to be true for all conditions.

Water containing a small amount of sugar may be suitable for drinking but not for cement mortar or concrete and conversely, water suitable for making concrete or mortar may not necessarily be fit for drinking especially if the constituents of water present at more than the maximum permissible limit. The concrete mixing water is generally required to comply with British Standards (BS: 3148 – 1980), standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM Standard C 94 – 78a), or with the Indian Standards (IS 456 – 2000).

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