Drinking Water Problems Are Discovered.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Khun Wootisuk, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya was joined by members of the Pharmacy Dept of Banglamung Hospital along with Public Health Department representatives made an inspection of a number of drinking water producers in the Pattaya area on Tuesday morning to ensure the quality of drinking water was within acceptable limits. They begun by visiting the PTI Company based in Naklua and the Sodsai Company also in Naklua.. In both cases checks on the water and machinery were made for bacteria`s and other harmful organisms and in both cases nothing was found, however the companies were given a number of suggestions on how to further increase their hygene levels to ensure that the company do not experience problems in the future.

The group then went to the Rose Water Company on Tappraya Road in Jomtien. Khun Wirat is the owner of the company and could not produce any license papers permitting them to produce drinking water. He told the Deputy Mayor that he begun as a small service for locals and expanded without realizing that he required any such licenses for the company. The Water was checked and Failed Every Test and the seals on the 10 Liter bottles were found to be showing a fake company name. This company was immediately shut down and is not now permitted to conduct business until licences are obtained and their water passes quality tests.

Pattaya City News

Wednesday 17th August 2005.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Mods for some reason only the headline got on the last post for this topic.

Please could you delete it as it has now been duplicated.

[Wolfie]

Mods for some reason only the headline got on the last post for this topic.

Please could you delete it as it has now been duplicated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

done

[Pattaya_Fox]

Thanks,

The implications are quite serious from this news report.

I wonder just how often these water companies are checked and which is the safest bottled water to drink?

[hughden]

When I was working in Bangkok we had a company doctor who carried out tests on a number of bottled water suppliers and reckoned that Singha was the best quality.

[Wolfie]

When I was working in Bangkok we had a company doctor who carried out tests on a number of bottled water suppliers and reckoned that Singha was the best quality.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm more of a chang man, myself

[bino]

Singha was the best quality.

The husband of one of the ladies in my office works for the Dept. of Food Safety, and he confirms this also.

[Jomtien]

Heared once from a friend that Mountain Spring (white pickups with blue logo) had a licence to supply to the food industry.

We use them, and the water has a nice taste. Price per Bottle is 45 baht. replacement system and initial cost for the first bottle 200-250 Baht i believe (i know they are the most expensive one too... )

Home delivery (we call this number when we run out: 01-9499794)

Greetings

Peter

Thanks,

The implications are quite serious from this news report.

I wonder just how often these water companies are checked and which is the safest bottled water to drink?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Edited August 18, 2005 by Jomtien

[Humphrey Bear]

Are we talking about the big bottles that go on top of a water cooler, or the 250ml and 300ml bottles that are sold in six-packs and so on?

There are thousands of the latter, at about 10 baht, plus imported versions.

Not many of the water-cooler suppliers, although there are national brands as well as local 'cheapies'. Both Singha and Chang sell bottled water as a major by-produt of their brewing business.

[WhiteShiva]

Are we talking about the big bottles that go on top of a water cooler, or the 250ml and 300ml bottles that are sold in six-packs and so on?

There are thousands of the latter, at about 10 baht, plus imported versions.

Not many of the water-cooler suppliers, although there are national brands as well as local 'cheapies'. Both Singha and Chang sell bottled water as a major by-produt of their brewing business.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We buy the large (20 liters?) bottles from Sparkle (I think it is called). They deliver, and water tastes good.

[Humphrey Bear]

Are we talking about the big bottles that go on top of a water cooler, or the 250ml and 300ml bottles that are sold in six-packs and so on?

There are thousands of the latter, at about 10 baht, plus imported versions.

Not many of the water-cooler suppliers, although there are national brands as well as local 'cheapies'. Both Singha and Chang sell bottled water as a major by-produt of their brewing business.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We buy the large (20 liters?) bottles from Sparkle (I think it is called). They deliver, and water tastes good.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The water-cooler bottles are usually about 19-20 litres.

Some are distilled water (not very good for you, but cheap).

Others are re-mineralised, so that they give you some of the minerals not found in sufficient quantities in the average diet. These are better for you, but more expensive.

Of course, there may be people out there selling distilled water at re-mineralised prices. As well as people filling the bottles from the tap, the local river, the local drain, wherever.

this is not the same as fitting a water purification device on your kitchen tap, which may filter out a lot of solids but without a UV device is unlikely to do much about the bacteria.

Ooooh, I can go on about water! (As WC Fields is reputed to have said "What! Put that stuff in my drink? Fish &lt;deleted&gt; in it!"

[lopburi3]

The filter on my kitchen sink, and believe on most Thai sinks, is this type and is very effective againt bacteria.

The latest designs of Doulton filter elements incorporate Oligodynamic silver impregnated into a porous ceramic outer shell [80,000,000 pores]that can trap bacteria down to as low as .22 of a micron in particle size [1/100,000 of an inch]. Laboratories consider a filtering medium with an effective pore size of .01 micron to .45 micron to be bacteriologically sterile and .45 micron to 1.0 micron to be bacteriologically safe. Regrowth of bacteria that becomes trapped either on the outside of the element or in the ceramic's pores is controlled by the silver which, on contact with water, releases small quantities of positively charged metals ions. These ions are taken into the enzyme system of the bacteria's cell and thereby neutralize it. The flow rate of the ceramic filter can be easily renewed by simply brushing its outer surface under running water. As the top layer of ceramic and the contaminants are brushed off and flushed away, a new layer becomes available. This process can be repeated several hundred times before the ceramic material is exhausted.

[Humphrey Bear]

The filter on my kitchen sink, and believe on most Thai sinks, is this type and is very effective againt bacteria.

The latest designs of Doulton filter elements incorporate Oligodynamic silver impregnated into a porous ceramic outer shell [80,000,000 pores] that can trap bacteria down to as low as .22 of a micron in particle size [1/100,000 of an inch]. Laboratories consider a filtering medium with an effective pore size of .01 micron to .45 micron to be bacteriologically sterile and .45 micron to 1.0 micron to be bacteriologically safe. Regrowth of bacteria that becomes trapped either on the outside of the element or in the ceramic's pores is controlled by the silver which, on contact with water, releases small quantities of positively charged metals ions. These ions are taken into the enzyme system of the bacteria's cell and thereby neutralize it. The flow rate of the ceramic filter can be easily renewed by simply brushing its outer surface under running water. As the top layer of ceramic and the contaminants are brushed off and flushed away, a new layer becomes available. This process can be repeated several hundred times before the ceramic material is exhausted.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lop - do you have a bank of filters, taking out the larger particles first, or just the one? A bank of filters would help slow down the clogging process - but I still prefer UV for bacteriological filtration. Doesn't just stop the majority getting through - it kills them DEAD.

[lopburi3]

Lop - do you have a bank of filters, taking out the larger particles first, or just the one? A bank of filters would help slow down the clogging process - but I still prefer UV for bacteriological filtration. Doesn't just stop the majority getting through - it kills them DEAD.

Have the normal pre filters and Bangkok water so filter only requires cleaning about every other month to get flow back up. As we use for 10 people and have had basic filter unit for 25 years consider it a good investment. Have never had a filter clog but after a couple of years use usually buy a new one.

[sriracha john]

Khun Wootisuk, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya was joined by members of the Pharmacy Dept of Banglamung Hospital along with Public Health Department representatives made an inspection of a number of drinking water producers in the Pattaya area on Tuesday morning to ensure the quality of drinking water was within acceptable limits. 

No mention of the regularity in which these inspections are conducted, but by the tone it sounds as if it's once in a great while and more of a photo-op for a politician. Case in point, Rose failed every test and the owner wasn't even aware he required liscensing, albeit that's simply what he claims. In fact, water potability testing SHOULD be conducted quite frequently, both routinely as well as on an unannounced basis. Additionally, in-house testing should be required by the companies daily and verified by Public Health inspectors. It's encouraging that Rose was at least shut down, but to take it further, hopefully they will be penalized heavily in order to discourage others from doing the same in the future. By selling tainted water, they jeopardize everyone's health on a very fundamental level.

In their effort to leave the developing nation status, Thailand needs to start with the basics.

[Humphrey Bear]

No mention of the regularity in which these inspections are conducted, but by the tone it sounds as if it's once in a great while and more of a photo-op for a politician.

In fact, water potability testing SHOULD be conducted quite frequently, both routinely as well as on an unannounced basis. A

Additionally, in-house testing should be required by the companies daily and verified by Public Health inspectors.

In their effort to leave the developing nation status, Thailand needs to start with the basics.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fully agree - public water supplies are a critical part of a nation's health.

In Benghazi, when I went there in 1981, the mains water had 1500 ppm of TDS (parts per million of total dissolved solids) a test of hardness and salinity. This is three times the WHO recommended maximum, but it borderline acceptable.

When I left, ten years later, the reading was 3500 ppm. This was due to the expanding population, the excessive use of water for irrigation, so on. The water table had dropped from one aquifer to a lower one - that was now highly saline, the pump-field being about 15-20 km from the sea. Pattaya is better off, in that there is a possibility of collecting rainwater, but it seems that the siting of Mabprachan reservoir is infelicitous (bloody stupid!) as it does not seem to have any catchment area with adequate rainfall.

As I am off in a week or two to build yet another power station / desalination plant, in a country where the rain seldom falls, then I would like to suggest that in Pattaya, where there are all the right ingrediemts, if correctly planned and managed, there should be far less problems than in - say - Oman. But no one hears of a water shortage in Muscat or Salalah.

[astral]

We filter all the water that we drink.

A good fliter unit costs about 2000 baht, and a water cooler about the same,

but will pay for itself in a year or two.

[Jai Dee]

Random check reveals some drinking water suppliers unlicensed and with substandard products

Random tests will continue

by Ariyawat Nuamsawat

A random survey by city hall sanitary inspectors working in cooperation with Banglamung Hospital has revealed drinking water suppliers selling substandard water, working in uncontrolled surroundings, and lacking in official documentation.

Inspectors first visited the TPI drinking water factory at Soi Sukhumvit 43 in Naklua, and the SodSai factory, which is two blocks away. The packing rooms and filling processes were found to be substandard, with toxic substances present.

The Rose factory on Thappraya Road revealed similar deficiencies, and also proved to be unlicensed. The inspectors halted production because of the low standards of the water and the fake labels that were being used. For the water already bottled, police attached a toxic substance notice.

The inspections were carried out under the direction of Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rermkijakarn and Dusit Chantaracha, pharmacist at Banglamung Hospital. The companies in breach of the regulations have been given 15 days to arrange their licenses and upgrade their processes. If they do not take action they will be prosecuted.

Wuttisak said that Pattaya City lacks water and he voiced concern about people buying drinking water unfit for consumption. The random tests will continue, he said.

Source: Pattaya Mail