BharatNotes Turbidity
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Post-monsoon turbidity spikes in the Yamuna at Palla, Delhi's main intake point, regularly exceed 3,000 NTU, straining water treatment infrastructure and supplying impetus for upstream catchment management investments.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
turbid (adjective), turbidly (adverb), turbidimeter (noun), turbidimetry (noun), turbulence (related noun)
Root
Latin turbidus = muddy, disturbed, from turba = crowd, commotion; -ity = state or quality
Etymology
From Latin turbiditas (muddiness, confusion), derived from turbidus (muddy, thick), which comes from turba (a crowd, uproar, disturbance). The Latin root turba is also the source of turbulent and disturb. The word entered English scientific usage in the 17th century, initially in optics and chemistry.
Memory Hook
TURBID = TURBA (crowd/commotion in Latin). Turbid water is crowded with particles — a commotion of silt and algae that makes it murky. Think of a disturbed crowd — turbidity is water that has been 'disturbed' and is now murky.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The cloudiness of water caused by suspended particles. It is a standard water-quality parameter and matters ecologically because suspended sediment reduces light penetration, limiting photosynthesis by submerged plants, and because particles can clog fish gills and smother benthic habitat. In treatment terms high turbidity also shields microorganisms from disinfection, which is why it is measured before as well as after treatment.
Don’t Confuse It With
Turbidity is cloudiness from suspended particles. Total dissolved solids measures dissolved rather than suspended matter. Biochemical oxygen demand measures the oxygen consumed by decomposition of organic matter. Sedimentation is the settling process that reduces turbidity.
Hindi Meaning
मलिनता (malintā) or गंदलापन (gandlāpan).
Common Questions
- What is turbidity?
- The cloudiness of water caused by particles held in suspension.
- Why does turbidity matter in water treatment?
- Suspended particles can shield microorganisms from disinfection, so turbidity must be reduced for treatment to be reliably effective.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2012 — Public Health
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Turbidity” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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