Tap Water Now Safe Enough To Drink

[JR Texas]

Drink tap water in Thailand? lmao

JR Texas: Drink the tap water in Bangkok? Are you crazy! Drink the tap water in Thailand? Are you crazy? There, both bases covered. Point being that the tap water in all of Thailand is, in my view, not safe.

[a2396]

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.

The environmentalists are now on a roll with this one. There was a similar article in the San Francisco Chronicle a few days ago, discussing the evils of bottled water. Where I lived in Florida & Arizona the tap water stunk from mineral salts, chlorine and/or algae. Not pleaseant to the tastebuds & sometimes a bit of a rumble in the stomach. I never touch tapwater in Asia, except maybe for Japan. Why would upcountry hotel water be OK? The probably get it from the main municipal supply.

[soundman]

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.

I wouldn't mind geting marooned with francine dee & friends.

[steveromagnino]

Drink tap water in Thailand? lmao

JR Texas: Drink the tap water in Bangkok? Are you crazy! Drink the tap water in Thailand? Are you crazy? There, both bases covered. Point being that the tap water in all of Thailand is, in my view, not safe.

I choose to drink it. Some people choose to sleep with HIV positive prostitutes. Yet other people choose to drive drunk.

I personally think my choice is far safer than the other two. And have 6 years of good health to prove it.

[qualtrough]

I have drunk tap water in Bangkok without ill effect, but I don't make a habit of it. The reason, as others have pointed out, is that while the water may be OK as it comes out of the plant, the pipes it goes through on the way to your stomach may not be OK. Where I lived in the US whenever there was a system failure there would be radio and television announcements advising people to boil their water. This was because a lack of water pressure allows contaminants to enter the pipes. Where I live here it is not unusual for the water pressure to drop off for a couple of hours. This means that contaminates can enter the underground pipes as there is no pressure to keep them out.

[Maestro]

In the 1970s the only bottled water I saw in Bangkok was Polaris, and the printed text on the glass bottle said the water was “filtered and polished”. Today, I still have that image of workers polishing each individual droplet of water.

About bottled water: it is stale water, but I have nothing against people drinking it and I often drink it myself. Its high bacterial count may perhaps help digestion.

About tap water: filter it, then boil it, then keep it in the refrigerator until we use it.

In Switzerland, I drink fresh water straight from the tap.

--

Maestro

[steveromagnino]

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.

I wouldn't mind geting marooned with francine dee & friends.

what a maroon. what a castaway.

Yep, there are worse things than being stuck on a dessert island made of tiramisu eating food of eachother's stomachs and possibly investigating the possibilities of procreation from a limited gene pool. If the other person is some hot import model.

I am less convinced if it was just you and me soundman, you seem like a nice guy, can't we just be friends? it's not you. It's me.

Someone PMed me with the more obtuse reference (well done sailor) but I am surprised no one picked up on the cartoon reference.

Maybe i have been watching too much family guy.

Edited July 2, 2007 by steveromagnino

[Fred Sanford]

Never taken so much as a sip of BKK tap water, never will. On the other hand, never drank anything but tap water in the US

[Fred Sanford]

Drink tap water in Thailand? lmao

JR Texas: Drink the tap water in Bangkok? Are you crazy! Drink the tap water in Thailand? Are you crazy? There, both bases covered. Point being that the tap water in all of Thailand is, in my view, not safe.

I choose to drink it. Some people choose to sleep with HIV positive prostitutes. Yet other people choose to drive drunk.

I personally think my choice is far safer than the other two. And have 6 years of good health to prove it.

I never met anyone who chose to sleep with an HIV positive prostitute. I have my doubts that anyone anywhere ever has.

[markg]

Boiling doesnt solve everything guys.

Here in Phuket, a lot of the water is from the old, disused tin mines.

I am led to believe that it is 'contaminated' with heavy metals from the old tin mining days.

This could be cadmium, lead, chromium etc.

It wont give you a dodgy stomach.

It wont make you ill.

But it you persist in drinking it, you will have problems in later life.

Boiling wont get rid of all that stuff.

Something to think about eh?

It's better to drink bottled water and dispose of the empties responsibly. I dont know ANY Thai people here who drink water from the municiple water main.

When in Rome eh!

[Heng]

Drink tap water anywhere? No way. I don't even shower or bathe in tap water, instead preferring an 80-20 mix of bottled drinking water (either Aura or Nestle) and soda water (any brand).

[DragonQuest]

I wouldnt drink the tap water in asia, if you paid me!

[JetsetBkk]

Drink tap water anywhere? No way. I don't even shower or bathe in tap water, instead preferring an 80-20 mix of bottled drinking water (either Aura or Nestle) and soda water (any brand).

I drink Aura and cook with Nestle, but wash with municipal water.

Don't you find it awkward lifting the bottles over your head?

And how do you heat those plastic containers? Brrrr!

[uptou]

ive noticed a few lizards in water tanks on the roof of one apartment.maybe add a bag of sugar into the tank,wait for it to ferment,&

[mcgriffith]

Yeah, when the water leaves the municipal water system, I'm sure it is drinkable.

But then factor in the citywide distribution system (leaking sewage pipes in proximity, etc.), the holding tanks around the city (have you ever seen divers go into these tanks to do cleaning like in the West- I thought not), and the tanks on top of buildings (mold, cockroaches, lizards, rats and worse).

I will shower and brush my teeth with it.

But I ain't drinkin' it.....not even boiled.

[qwertz]

I've always made my tea with it and now and then boiled my rice in it.

It hasn't killed me yet.

[Heng]

Drink tap water anywhere? No way. I don't even shower or bathe in tap water, instead preferring an 80-20 mix of bottled drinking water (either Aura or Nestle) and soda water (any brand).

I drink Aura and cook with Nestle, but wash with municipal water.

Don't you find it awkward lifting the bottles over your head?

And how do you heat those plastic containers? Brrrr!

I just have them fill our water storage tanks with it.

[steveromagnino]

Yeah, when the water leaves the municipal water system, I'm sure it is drinkable.

But then factor in the citywide distribution system (leaking sewage pipes in proximity, etc.), the holding tanks around the city (have you ever seen divers go into these tanks to do cleaning like in the West- I thought not), and the tanks on top of buildings (mold, cockroaches, lizards, rats and worse).

I will shower and brush my teeth with it.

But I ain't drinkin' it.....not even boiled.

I drank skanky water out of our boat's holding tanks that would occasionally output nice lumps of green mold.

LIke I I i i i i i i i io i o i i i i saa s asa s a s a said no no n n n n n n n n n no ill effffffffffffects. Yee e e e e e e et.

[meemiathai]

Drink tap water, are people crazy?

I won't even eat a cow that has drunk tap water!

I won't walk in the streets when there are cars,

I won't walk under the sun,

I won't breathe when the air is not fresh,

I feel safer living on the Moon!

[dominique355]

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.

That is a bit too oversimplified. I would agree with you when considering the water obtained through filtration and reverse osmosis.

But then, there is also fresh, clean, pure and healthy natural spring water with plenty of minerals, essential for your health. There are not many here in Thailand, but they exist. And this water is certainly better then tab water, both in taste and in healthiness. And I am talking of Thai water, not Evian etc., which by the way is rather poor in minerals.

I come from a country with a high standard for drinking water and bottled water. I used to drink bottled water with approx. 2000 mg of minerals per liter. The water came in glass bottles and these bottles were recycled to the bottler. Also, I liked carbonated water, which literally does not exist here. I like the taste and it helps keep the water clean from bacteria etc.

Other waters came in PET bottles and every shop had to take back the empty bottles for recycling.

Now of course, here in Thailand, the notion of recycling (or even protection of the environment) has not yet entered the Thai vocabulary. But to simply qualify bottled water as bad for the environment, is in my view a bit hasty.

Has anyone ever seen a lab report on the tab water here in Bangkok?

Edited July 3, 2007 by dominique355

[lazeeboy]

Drink tap water, are people crazy?

I won't even eat a cow that has drunk tap water!

I won't walk in the streets when there are cars,

I won't walk under the sun,

I won't breathe when the air is not fresh,

I feel safer living on the Moon!

i've always boiled my vegetables with tap water ,never been sick ,but drinking it nothanks

[Donnyboy]

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.

That is a bit too oversimplified. I would agree with you when considering the water obtained through filtration and reverse osmosis.

But then, there is also fresh, clean, pure and healthy natural spring water with plenty of minerals, essential for your health. There are not many here in Thailand, but they exist. And this water is certainly better then tab water, both in taste and in healthiness. And I am talking of Thai water, not Evian etc., which by the way is rather poor in minerals.

I come from a country with a high standard for drinking water and bottled water. I used to drink bottled water with approx. 2000 mg of minerals per liter. The water came in glass bottles and these bottles were recycled to the bottler. Also, I liked carbonated water, which literally does not exist here. I like the taste and it helps keep the water clean from bacteria etc.

Other waters came in PET bottles and every shop had to take back the empty bottles for recycling.

Now of course, here in Thailand, the notion of recycling (or even protection of the environment) has not yet entered the Thai vocabulary. But to simply qualify bottled water as bad for the environment, is in my view a bit hasty.

Has anyone ever seen a lab report on the tab water here in Bangkok?

it slowly has started on the streets as some have turned it into a career, picking up plastic and glass bottles. But you are correct, in the main, most just turf it in the trash. Theres no co-ordinated effort to place special bins for plastic and other recyclables in this country.

[steveromagnino]

it slowly has started on the streets as some have turned it into a career, picking up plastic and glass bottles. But you are correct, in the main, most just turf it in the trash. Theres no co-ordinated effort to place special bins for plastic and other recyclables in this country.

Well that isn't true, human refuse gets recycled onto the streets of lower Sukhumvit and Pattaya.

[elkangorito]

I've been drinking Bangkok & Pattaya water now for almost 2 years with no ill affects. If anything, it has probably boosted my immune system. I do, however, agree with the idea that the pipes & tanks need to be maintained correctly in order to prevent the degradation of water quality.

There are two things that really concern me about Thailands water system;

1) the Thai low pressure system will more easily allow ingress of contaminants.

2) commerce & industry do not seem to use backflow prevention devices (RPZ valves). A potential disaster just waiting to happen.

[Doza]

About recycling - almost anything able to be recycled is seperated and collected adn on-sold regardless of where you dump it - especially plastic bottles. They are collected by the local informal garbage collectors and sold to middle men who onsell back to bottle making companies who do their own recycling and to the odd recycling factory. Some recyclables are even exported.

Seperating easy recyclables isn't the problem, its seperating toxic waste such as dry cell batteries and flourescent light tubes and making sure they don't end up in land fills. The BMA will come and collect this stuff it you contact them.