Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water In Bangkok ?

[duiter]

Dear all,

Is it safe to drink tap water in Bangkok ?

Thanks

[beano2274]

How long have you been here?

Did you not read anything before you came?

You should not drink the tap water.

[CharlieH]

Not advisable, and besides at a just a few baht for bottled why would you want to.

[DP25]

Yes, it's fine. However, there are lots of water machines around the city that are only 1 baht per liter. IMO the water from these tastes better than pure tap water and that is what I use for most of my drinking water. Everything else, cooking, tea, cleaning teeth, washing food etc is all done with tap. You can also buy a filter for your faucet at home that will improve the taste of tap water.

[bangkockney]

How long have you been here?

Did you not read anything before you came?

You should not drink the tap water.

Of course it's fine. Tap water is part of your everyday life or don't you realise that?

My kids always drink it when they have a shower, the little devils, and they've never been sick.

In fact it's advisable to drink a few glasses of tap water per week whenever you spend an extended period of time in a new country to get your body exposed to the local bacteria etc

Edited March 27, 2012 by bangkockney

[dantilley]

It's safe, supposedly, and if you injest some while cleaning your teeth, showering, etc. it's fine. To me the main thing that puts me off drinking large glasses of the stuff is the temperature - refrigerated, filtered tap water is the way to go.

[brewsterbudgen]

Yes you can, but few people do.

[h90]

NO

[andrew55]

From the World Health Organisation...

http://www.whothaila...8/Section29.htm

Edited March 27, 2012 by andrew55

[craigt3365]

Here's some previous threads to read. Net: you never know if it's safe or not. But the research says it's probably not safe.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/183515-govt-says-tap-water-is-now-safe-to-drink/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/525192-water-drinking-machines-interesting-article/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/538830-if-i-boil-h20-in-bkk-is-it-safe-to-drink-in-coffeetea-etc/

[momosan]

I think a lot of people know by now that the water that flows out of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority is pretty much world standard--top class stuff. But there's still lots of myths bordering on superstition about the contaminations that the water may pick up while en route before it comes out of your tap at home.

[Swiss1960]

I think a lot of people know by now that the water that flows out of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority is pretty much world standard--top class stuff. But there's still lots of myths bordering on superstition about the contaminations that the water may pick up while en route before it comes out of your tap at home.

Yes, but you outline the problem... it is the way from the waterworks to the house... old water lines... leaking water out and dirt in... and no filter (neither UV nor charcoal) can clean out everything... all Thai I know will cook even the filtered water before using it... or buy bottled water for everything including washing fruits and rinse the mouth

[saengsureeya]

So don't take the risk and don't drink tap water.

And Beano......how long have you been in Thailand.........never heard of "newbies"?

Christ, what an answer.

After more than 4000 posts I thought that you knew better.

[craigt3365]

I think a lot of people know by now that the water that flows out of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority is pretty much world standard--top class stuff. But there's still lots of myths bordering on superstition about the contaminations that the water may pick up while en route before it comes out of your tap at home.

Sorry to disagree, but please read the previous threads for more information. Most reports from world organizations say it's not world standard-top class stuff. Hard to find that in most countries anyway! And a lot boils down to the delivery pipes from the water authority to your house. One small leak can allow all sorts of nasties to leak into your water supply.

The water is not tested according to world standards and comes, basically, from the Chao Praya. Nuff said?

[DP25]

I think a lot of people know by now that the water that flows out of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority is pretty much world standard--top class stuff. But there's still lots of myths bordering on superstition about the contaminations that the water may pick up while en route before it comes out of your tap at home.

Completely correct.

Here is a link where you can check water quality online.

http://wqconline.mwa...verviewMap.aspx

People seem to be under some strange belief that the water is made in some far off province and has to travel through hundreds of miles of leaky pipes before it reaches Bangkok. That simply isn't so, it is monitored throughout the city and it is not a long journey at all to your faucet. The tap water is perfectly fine to drink.

People do drink it, and almost everyone uses it for washing and cooking. Which was why there was panic during the flood, and they put extra chlorine in to the tap water. You could CLEARLY taste the difference during the flood as well, was still safe but tasted awful and like a swimming pool.

[momosan]

Sorry to disagree, but please read the previous threads for more information. Most reports from world organizations say it's not world standard-top class stuff. Hard to find that in most countries anyway! And a lot boils down to the delivery pipes from the water authority to your house. One small leak can allow all sorts of nasties to leak into your water supply.

The water is not tested according to world standards and comes, basically, from the Chao Praya. Nuff said?

andrew gave a link to WHO/THAILAND, what you gave were links to threads with posts from forum members. Links from reputable organisations that state the water that's directly leaving the MWA is less than world standard would be more compelling for your case.

But as I said the piping from the MWA to the tap is another matter.

Edited March 27, 2012 by momosan

[DP25]

Yes, but you outline the problem... it is the way from the waterworks to the house... old water lines... leaking water out and dirt in... and no filter (neither UV nor charcoal) can clean out everything... all Thai I know will cook even the filtered water before using it... or buy bottled water for everything including washing fruits and rinse the mouth

I have never once in years of living and cooking daily in Bangkok ever used bottled water for cooking, washing fruit, or cleaning dishes. I don't know any Thais that do either. You really think restaurants are using bottled water? Or the street stands? Of course not. Everyone is ingesting tap water in Bangkok every single day, even if you think you aren't. It's fine.

[momosan]

I have never once in years of living and cooking daily in Bangkok ever used bottled water for cooking, washing fruit, or cleaning dishes. I don't know any Thais that do either. You really think restaurants are using bottled water? Or the street stands? Of course not. Everyone is ingesting tap water in Bangkok every single day, even if you think you aren't. It's fine.

Righto.

Just from the sheer amount of people using it should be a pretty good indication of the quality in itself. Who's ever seen any negative news reports tv/newspaper/internet of sickness cause by the water coming out of the taps in bangkok.

[beano2274]

To use for cleaning food is okay to drink is not okay.

Khlong Prapa is the Khlong used for this water if I remember correctly, and a few months ago a body part was fished out of it.

[beano2274]

So don't take the risk and don't drink tap water.

And Beano......how long have you been in Thailand.........never heard of "newbies"?

Christ, what an answer.

After more than 4000 posts I thought that you knew better.

Looking at the other topics the OP has opened, they seem to indicate someone who has not realised that this is Thailand, and is not the UK. Seems they have not read much about Thailand before coming.

Maybe a newbie, but at least take the time to read about the place you are going to before going, I left Germany 2 days after making the decision to come here, I still read about it before getting on the plane.

[craigt3365]

Yes, but you outline the problem... it is the way from the waterworks to the house... old water lines... leaking water out and dirt in... and no filter (neither UV nor charcoal) can clean out everything... all Thai I know will cook even the filtered water before using it... or buy bottled water for everything including washing fruits and rinse the mouth

I have never once in years of living and cooking daily in Bangkok ever used bottled water for cooking, washing fruit, or cleaning dishes. I don't know any Thais that do either. You really think restaurants are using bottled water? Or the street stands? Of course not. Everyone is ingesting tap water in Bangkok every single day, even if you think you aren't. It's fine.

Actually, Thai's drink a lot of bottled water. Great article to read:

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3768711

According to Bottled Water Report, the trade publication for the International Bottled Water Association (IWBA), there are about 3,000 brands of bottled water around the globe. Americans and Europeans consumed the most bottled water worldwide as of 2008. Surprisingly, Thailand ranked 13th, representing the sole Asian country in the IWBA’s top twenty. In total annual consumption, Thais rank just behind the French, with the average Thai downing 118 litres of bottled water a year.

“The raw water that the drinking water companies use is taken from the same sources as the public tap water: Thailand’s rivers and canals. The only difference is in the treatment,” Suksom said.

“The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) treats tap water in conventional ways, by filtering out turbidity [suspended particles] and disinfecting with chlorine to remove toxic bacteria.” Although the MWA sets and enforces standards for tap water in Bangkok, the standards do not approach WHO or other international water quality standards. Outside Bangkok, water treatment comes under the aegis of the Provincial Waterworks Authority, whose standards are even lower, according to Suksom.

[momosan]

To use for cleaning food is okay to drink is not okay.

Khlong Prapa is the Khlong used for this water if I remember correctly, and a few months ago a body part was fished out of it.

Raw water, is not going to start off smelling off roses regardless of what source or country it's coming from. A body . . . . a single body . . . . I doubt very much that that is going to in any way affect the 5 million cubic meters of water produced by the MWA daily.

Correction, with stats in hand from http://www.mwa.co.th/download/prd01/file/bkplant_eng.pdf:

Max.Capacity per Day (m3)

Source of Production

Bangkhen WTP - 3,600,000

Samsen WTP - 550,000

Thonburi WTP - 170,000

Mahasawat WTP - 1,200,000

Grand total of: 5,520,000 cubic metres

Edited March 27, 2012 by momosan

[bangkockney]

Craig, that's funny because the WHO themselves say it is up to standard!

WHO representative David Sutherland said "the water production is in line with the World Health Organisation [WHO] standard."

He was speaking after inspecting MWA’s Bang Khen plant together with other agencies including PM Yingluck Shinawatra. The visit was made to assure the public that tap water in the flood-hit capital is still safe for consumption.

[Heng]

I wouldn't drink out of those privately owned water water machines unless they were operated by a company.... Water.Net for example. Otherwise it's questionable as to whether they maintain a regular filter change schedule or not.

[DP25]

Actually, Thai's drink a lot of bottled water. Great article to read:

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3768711

Never said they didn't, I said they don't use it for cooking, cleaning, washing fruit and vegetables, brushing teeth, etc, which by and large they don't. Basically everyone in the city is ingesting large amounts of tap water every day, even those that don't use it as drinking water, and people aren't getting ill from it. People are just fussy about water, even back home many people won't drink tap water, as is shown by the European countries in that article that drink more bottled water than Thais. I don't drink tap water often back home either, I use a Brita as it tastes better. Same as here.

And it isn't true that BMWA water does not meet WHO standards

http://www.mwa.co.th...eb/water_e.html

[NancyL]

The toilet sprayers don't have backflow preventers. So, the water from the production plant could be safe, but it might be doubtful by the time it reaches your tap.

Personally, I realize I ingest some in showering and toothbrushing, but I always use bottled water for rinsing food that will be eaten raw.

[ObsessiveAddict]

no..no...and no.

[Shot]

YES. I drank it alll thee tyme. Imm ok

[andrew55]

YES. I drank it alll thee tyme. Imm ok

At'll be rice whisky old mate.

[NewlyMintedThai]

Safe, as long as your pipes and storage tanks are clean.