Strengthening Public Health: The Case for Stainless Steel in Water Storage

March 26, 2026

By Mr Rajeev Garg, Head of Sales, Jindal Stainless

In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the human right to water and sanitation. Everyone has the right to sufficient, safe, physically accessible, and affordable water for personal and domestic use. One would assume this to be among the most basic entitlements. Yet, far from it, safe water continues to remain a luxury for millions across the country.

More often than not, the discourse around water is shaped by conversations on purity, what ultimately reaches the consumers. Concern arises when water appears discolored, carries visible particles, or smells off. The immediate responses are reactive: buying packaged water for those who can afford it, or resorting to prolonged boiling and filtration.

What remains consistently overlooked, however, is a critical link in this value chain: storage, transport, and treatment. The materials used for water storage in rooftop tanks and for water transport through pipes and tubes are often treated as afterthoughts, when in reality, they determine whether water remains safe long before it is consumed. If the right attention is paid here, the quality of water at the end point is far more likely to remain intact.

Public health under strain

The consequences of overlooking this value chain are already visible in public health data. Water-borne diseases continue to pose a significant burden in India, with an estimated 37.7 million people affected annually. Over a longer period, between 2005 and 2022, India reported over 20 crore cases of major water-borne diseases, revealing the scale and persistence of the challenge. These are not merely statistics, they reflect systemic gaps in how water is stored, handled, and delivered across the country.

Where do materials come into the picture?

While contamination at the source is often addressed through treatment and filtration, secondary contamination during storage and transportation remains insufficiently acknowledged.

Water passes through multiple interfaces before it is consumed, and each touchpoint has the potential to compromise its quality. Materials that corrode, degrade, or develop micro-fractures over time can become breeding grounds for microbial growth or leach undesirable elements into the water. In environments exposed to heat and inconsistent maintenance, conditions typical of many residential and urban settings, this risk is further amplified. The material, therefore, is not a passive component; it is an active determinant of water safety.

Most conventional water storage systems still rely on plastic rooftop tanks due to their affordability and convenience. Plastic warps, cracks and degrades over time, is known to release harmful chemicals when exposed to heat, can develop algae and odours, and has a shorter lifespan with higher maintenance requirements.

As per the 2023-24 Economic Survey of Delhi, nearly 50% of the water produced by Delhi Jal Board is either lost to theft or leakage before reaching consumers. A significant part of this loss can be attributed to ageing and damaged pipelines. These pipelines are usually made from plastics, which are prone to cracking under high heat and pressure environments and is not designed for long lifecycles.

Stainless steel – a global material benchmark for hygiene and safety

Across the globe, stainless steel is used in various applications where health and hygiene are paramount and can’t be compromised.

In several developed countries, stainless steel water tanks are widely used in commercial infrastructure, hospitality and institutional infrastructure. In parts of Australia and Europe, stainless steel rainwater tanks are common in residential buildings. Hospitals and pharmaceutical facilities in the United States also rely on stainless steel storage systems because of their durability and hygiene advantages.

In India, sectors such as healthcare, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and community kitchens have long relied on stainless steel as the material of choice. And that material excellence also plays an integral role in water storage systems. Stainless steel’s non-reactive surface ensures that it does not alter the chemical composition of water, while its high resistance to corrosion and scaling enables long-term durability without degradation. Unlike porous or reactive materials like plastic or other conventional metals, stainless steel offers a smooth surface that minimizes microbial adhesion, making it inherently more hygienic. Its ability to maintain structural and chemical integrity under varying environmental conditions has positioned it as a global benchmark for safe water storage.

The increasing adoption of stainless steel in health and hygiene applications signals a larger shift, one that values durability and long-term safety over short-term convenience.. Extending this standard to water infrastructure, particularly in storage and transportation, at a larger scale becomes an imperative. As awareness about water quality increases, storage infrastructure is receiving greater attention, and for good reason.

Out of sight, not without impact

I still recall a moment when my aunt advised a friend, whose son had fallen ill, to add an anti-contamination tablet to their rooftop water tank. At the time, it seemed like a simple, almost routine suggestion. But in hindsight, it points to something far more significant: the quiet, often overlooked role that the material used for water storage play in our everyday health.

For most households, the rooftop water tank remains invisible. It sits out of sight and is rarely inspected. Yet it stores the water that every home depends on for cooking, bathing and cleaning. It also stores the water that eventually reaches the purifier.

This brings us back to a simple truth. Every home has a water storage tank. Yet very few stop to consider what the material of that tank might be doing to their water.

This article was published to Manufacturing Today on 21 March 2026:

https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/stainless-steel-in-water-storage