What is potable water and what are its basic quality requirements?

Potable water is water that is safe for drinking and cooking purposes. Basic quality requirements include: being free from pathogenic organisms, having acceptable taste, odor, and appearance, being free from harmful chemicals, having pH between 6.5-8.5, turbidity less than 5 NTU, and meeting standards for dissolved solids, hardness, and residual chlorine. WHO and BIS standards define specific limits for various parameters.