Pattaya's Water

[vickersvc10]

Recently the Bangkok Post published an interesting article about Bangkok's tap water supply. The conclusion was that, overall, the tap water in Bangkok's developed areas was perfectly safe to drink.

I wonder if the same applies here in Pattaya? My tap water looks clear and does not have any smell. I use it to make tea and coffee, although for ordinary drinking I use bottled water.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Is there an independent laboratory which could test our local tap water?

[libya 115]

Pattaya tap water varies. Some is delivered to apartment blocks by tanker and pumped into header tanks. Some hotels or residences have a general mains supply.

However, why take the risk of drinking tap water?

R.O. water machines are readily available offering potable water at 1 baht per litre.

I have been drinking this R.O. water for about 12 months now with no ill effects and it tastes good too.

Pattaya tap water is best left for bathing, laundry and toilet flushing.

IMHO.

[Mobi]

I am told there is a notice in the water plant office not far from my house that says that all the water has been treated and is potable - i.e. it is safe to drink.

That is a prettty brave statement to make, but there again TIT , so who can say for sure?

I suspect it is pretty clean, but as far as I'm concerned, as it goes into underground storage tanks before being pumped around my house, that alone is enough to render the water undrinkable.

In the West, our tap drinking water is fed straight from the water mains into the taps, and even in these places, it is not advisable to drink water that has been sitting in a water tank.

I use the ice made in my fridge ice machine, but the water has gone through a water filter before being frozen. But I don't drink the plumbed fridge cold water, even though it has also been filtered.

Bottled water is cheap - why take a chance?

[britmaveric]

Bottle water - think some lad from TV did some testing of local water and the results were well enough to put you off the tap water.

[moo9]

"I don't drink water, because fish f*** in it" by W.C. Fields...

Seriously, I brush my teeth with tap water, use it for cooking, but I would never try to drink right from the tap. That's not safe even in Southern Europe, so why should it be safe here? Makes no sense.

[astral]

We filter our tap water before drinking.

[PhilHarries]

When in my old condo in Pattaya Klang I one day left a glass of tap water standing on the side. A couple of days later I was getting round to a clear up and found it. There was a layer of fine sediment in the bottom and a distinct green tinge to it and this was mains water but, to be fair, 15 years ago.

Cleaning teeth okay, drinking, definately not (IMO).

btw, beware the term 'potable' it does not necessarily mean drinkable.

[Mobi]

btw, beware the term 'potable' it does not necessarily mean drinkable.

Merriam Webster:

Main Entry: 1po·ta·ble

Pronunciation: 'pO-t&-b&l

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin potabilis, from Latin potare to drink; akin to Latin bibere to drink, Greek pinein

: suitable for drinking

Chambers Concise:

potable adj. fit to drink

Need I go on?

In any event the choice of word was mine, not the good people at the water office, as the notice was in Thai, and I was giving a rough translation.

I first came across the expression 'potable water' when I was in the oil business, many moons ago, and believe you me, if potable doesn't mean drinkable I would have been dead long ago.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Mobi D'Ark

[tuky]

We filter our tap water before filling a 20l bottle and putting it in the cooler unit.

Drinking it has never caused us any problems.

[PhilHarries]

Mobi D, I don't dispute that the true definition of 'potable' means drinkable but it is often, shall we say, open to local interpretations.

Bottom line is that I would still advise folks not to drink the Pattaya mains water, even cooking I'd be hesitant to use it and then only if given a good hard boil for at least five minutes.

How many Thia's drink the tap water?

Anyway, good to see you didn't use Wikipedia.

[Mobi]

Anyway, good to see you didn't use Wikipedia.

I'm so old that I actually use hard copy tomes that I shipped all the way from blighty

[fxm88]

I'm not sure if the water-works treats water before putting it into the system. But even if it does, there's still a very good possibility of the leaky sewage system cross-contaminating the leaky fresh-water system -- especially given Pattaya's frequent water shortages. Or there could even be something funky growing in your building's storage tank. And does your building have all its backflow prevention devices installed and tested? (Of course, the bottled water has been found to have its own problems.)

But with a little luck, someday, maybe, Pattaya can have a water system to rival Phnom Penh's?

See also:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=76134

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=42422

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=102714

etc.

etc.