Tap Water Now Safe Enough To Drink

[Donnyboy]

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has been trying to promote tap water as an alternative to bottled water through a public awareness campaign backed by scientific evidence, with limited success. This is despite the fact that Bangkok's water-supplier uses state-of-the-art production processes to supply the city's residents with clean tap water that meets or even exceeds the standard set by the World Health Organisation.

The Nation article

now is this enough to give you confidence to switch from bottled water to tap for drinking?

for me, not yet until more info comes out on the matter. And the aging water pipes that deliver the water must be contaminating any clean water that comes from the plant.

[nidge]

When i lived in Bangkok there was no way i would dring tap water. It goes in my mouth when i clean my teeth and that's all. Even then i noticed the funny taste. Where i live now the drinking water is delivered to my door and is only 10 baht for a 2 gallon (ish?) bottle.

[cdnvic]

I think that Bangkok water is safe enough to drink. I just prefer the taste of the bottled stuff, and as mentioned above, the price is paltry.

[tutsiwarrior]

in south Suphan the tap water is drinkable but heavily chlorinated...install a water filter an' you should be OK...

[Monkey Fish]

I remember reading this article from a few months back:

http://www.asiawaterbusiness.com/news_show...h&n_id=1658

(although the copy I read was in the Bangkok Post)

"We asked for results of the December assessment; the tests for quality were all satisfactory, as are around 95% of all quality tests done on tap water in Bangkok and surrounding vicinity."

I was kinda wondering about the other 5%...

[Luckydog]

Remember that bottled water devoid of all the nutrients and minerals found in 'normal' drinkable water can leave you low in those essentials......suppliments are the answer imo.

[sceadugenga]

Personally I never drink tap water anywhere in the world, in my former home city of Adelaide it was particularly vile.

However, when showering and cleaning my teeth I have probably ingested a fair amount in places as exotic as Siem Reap and Zamboanga.

[rak sa_ngop]

My condo water supply obviously comes from holding tanks on the roof as the water is not too clear. This can be seen by browning of the second stage of my 3 stage water filter.

Drinking directly from a main(s) water supply may be safe but I think if in doubt best to filter out any subsequent 'additives'.

[ZZZ]

A lot of the bottled water is just bottled tap water anyway, the only difference is the price. There are plenty of scams around and plants are shut down on a regular basis due to bad quality or even toxic bottled water.

The brand name bottles (Minere, Singha....) should be ok but some of the others are no better than what comes out of the tap.

[dave111223]

I've drank the tap water a few times, and didn't get sick. It just tastes bad (like drinking swimming pool water).

[Mid]

the price is paltry

apparently not , and this is getting global attention that will only increase as the environmental cost of bottled water becomes more apparent .

[karlbkk]

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has been trying to promote tap water as an alternative to bottled water through a public awareness campaign backed by scientific evidence, with limited success. This is despite the fact that Bangkok's water-supplier uses state-of-the-art production processes to supply the city's residents with clean tap water that meets or even exceeds the standard set by the World Health Organisation.

The Nation article

now is this enough to give you confidence to switch from bottled water to tap for drinking?

for me, not yet until more info comes out on the matter. And the aging water pipes that deliver the water must be contaminating any clean water that comes from the plant.

The water may be good but just look at the pipework it has to go before you get it out the tap NO THANKS NOT FOR ME

karl...

[PeaceBlondie]

I don't live in Bangkok, and don't know how safe the water here is, in a suburb of Chiang Mai where we suck the water out of the klong and purify it through a big filter. However, the article in the Nation seemed opinionated and a bit sensational, such as its ending line, "...it is incredibly irresponsible for people who have access to perfectly safe tap water to continue to buy bottled water." As others have pointed out, the water is not perfectly safe just because the BMA or the local water authority says so. Also, the article's writer assures us that most bottles are not recycled. Well, I'm sure that mine are, and if you're buying them off the truck in one liter or 20-liter bottles, and you exchange empties for full bottles, that takes care of that.

After you've lived in the same area for a year, if your immune system is strong, you should be resistant to most of the local bacteria, but not all of it. An occasional mouthful might be okay. But to cook, to make ice, or drink straight - no thanks.

[Furbie]

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has been trying to promote tap water as an alternative to bottled water through a public awareness campaign backed by scientific evidence, with limited success. This is despite the fact that Bangkok's water-supplier uses state-of-the-art production processes to supply the city's residents with clean tap water that meets or even exceeds the standard set by the World Health Organisation.

The Nation article

now is this enough to give you confidence to switch from bottled water to tap for drinking?

for me, not yet until more info comes out on the matter. And the aging water pipes that deliver the water must be contaminating any clean water that comes from the plant.

The water may be good but just look at the pipework it has to go before you get it out the tap NO THANKS NOT FOR ME

karl...

It’s all about the pipes at this point – they are some pretty old nasty things. I remember in DC in the early 90s the wonderful Mayor Marion Barry saying DC water was safe to drink – he dutifully went down to the water treatment facility and drank a glass of cool water right out of the tap. Yet all the government offices were still getting bottled water – why, the pipes are bad.

[Plus]

What did people drink before bottled water?

It's very difficult to wean them of it now.

Now apparently we have to drink only from the bottles and swallow supplements, too. Life has become so complicated...

[steveromagnino]

I live in Bangkok and have consistently drank tap water ever since I got here. I would not do it upcountry, as the water is often not filtered or cleansed, but any hotel, sure tap water is fine.

Never got a bad stomach from it; considering the state of the washing of dishes for roadside food; hygiene in restaurants and reality that most people put the water in their mouths brushing teeth etc, I hardly consider it high on my list of priorities.

The only city I haven't been able to stomach tap water was LA, where the water is so high in chlorine that it is undrinkable.

Bottled water is for when I play Castaway, and end up marooned on a dessert island with Francine Dee and feel like drinkies to go with my chocolate maroons.

[Upcountry]

As mentioned above, the city water can be perfect, but the pipes leading to the water tap may not be safe. We had that problem with old lead soldered pipes in New England.

Here we use two and three stage filters to use tap water for drinking and cooking. I think that's the answer, and cheaper than buying bottled water.

So, it's good news that Bangkok and other city water is okay to drink, but filters are essential. I hope the gov't encourages and maybe subsidizes the use of them.

UC

[soundman]

I have drunk filtered water from the tap in the countryside for five years. I think it just gets pumped from the local river, treated & then into the system. Doesn't taste that bad.

First year I had a few stomach rumbles, but nothing serious. After that no dramas whatsoever.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Old Man River]

For all the people that drink bottled water and would never drink tap water, what water do you use when you brush your teeth?

[DP25]

I've drank tap water in Bangkok plenty of times with no problem at all. I prefer bottled water, but if that runs out before I have a chance to replace it and I don't feel like a trip to 7-11 I'll drink a liter or two of tap water instead.

[mmushr00m]

marrooned on a dessert island with Francine Dee??? was she on top of a riced out jap scrap as well??

Tap and Bottle in BKK, but bottle only when out of BKK. had bad belly when I 1st did ity, but no probs since

[steveromagnino]

marrooned on a dessert island with Francine Dee??? was she on top of a riced out jap scrap as well??

Tap and Bottle in BKK, but bottle only when out of BKK. had bad belly when I 1st did ity, but no probs since

She would seem to have drifted ashore after a hot import nights show was flooded, and her airbags took to safety.

I see myself more as the Wilson break out character, and she is more like the Tom Hanks character.

But without the beard or penis.

[Donnyboy]

For all the people that drink bottled water and would never drink tap water, what water do you use when you brush your teeth?

tap but i never ingest it

[Donnyboy]

What did people drink before bottled water?

It's very difficult to wean them of it now.

Now apparently we have to drink only from the bottles and swallow supplements, too. Life has become so complicated...

thats progress I suppose. Before bottle, there was tap, before tap there was a hand pump out the back, before that there was a well, before that there was the long walk to the river with 2 buckets balanced attached to a stick,........... now thats complicated

some people complain going to the local 7-11 for water!

[Mid]

REG:

Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.

[steveromagnino]

REG:

Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.

I once broke off the handle on a water pump in the provinces.

People scowled at me, but i said I was just being an epidemiologist.

[pop_corn]

What did people drink before bottled water?

It's very difficult to wean them of it now.

Now apparently we have to drink only from the bottles and swallow supplements, too. Life has become so complicated...

before was not contaminated like now..

sickness of modernity ! :

[JR Texas]

What did people drink before bottled water?

It's very difficult to wean them of it now.

Now apparently we have to drink only from the bottles and swallow supplements, too. Life has become so complicated...

before was not contaminated like now..

sickness of modernity ! :

JR Texas: Are you totally crazy? Drink the tap water in Thailand? No thank you!

[Fred Sanford]

Drink tap water in Thailand? lmao

[Doza]

Tap water in many cases may be better than bottled water and its interesting only one person mentioned the environmental price we are paying for over-consumption of bottled water.

Bottled water manufacturers’ marketing campaigns capitalize on isolated instances of contaminated public drinking water supplies by encouraging the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. What’s more, our increasing consumption of bottled water—more than 22 gallons per U.S. citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute—fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.

Full Article

I have often drunk the tap water and found the taste ok compared to Aus for example and never been sick.