Substandard Water In Many Water-Vending Machines Nationwide: Thailand

[webfact]

Poor water in many machines

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Random checks of water-vending machines nationwide by the Department of Medical Sciences found that more than a third -38 per cent - had substandard water quality, DMS chief Dr Nipon Phopattanachai said on Monday.

Udon Thani, Trang and Surat Thani had the worst water quality, while Chon Buri, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai had substandard quality at 40 to 50 per cent of machines.

Songkhla had the best water quality with only 12 per cent of water samples being substandard, while in Bangkok some 22 per cent of water samples were poor.

Nipon said the standard was determined by water quality, filters and microorganism contamination, as well as each machine's location.

Some 26 per cent of substandard water was tainted by chemicals/metal or had acidic imbalance, which indicates an issue with water filters, while 16 per cent had microorganism contamination, mostly coliform bacteria.

Nipon has urged operators to check the quality of the water on a regular basis, keep their machines clean and change the water filters at least once or twice a year.

-- The Nation 2012-10-24

[daoyai]

This is the kind of situation where urging the operators to improve is just so pathetic, the water machine operators are profiting from selling a contaminated product. How about some strict enforcement of safety standards? ....... oh yea it is only the poor that fill up at those roadside machines, never mind.

[cloudhopper]

"Nipon has urged operators to check the quality of the water on a regular basis, keep their machines clean and change the water filters at least once or twice a year."

That will surely solve the problem. Salud!

[cooked]

I heard recently that Thai sometimes change the oil in their car without changing the filter. We drink rain water mostly.

Edited October 23, 2012 by cooked

[kurnell]

How is this a surprise? Give me one example of anything that is regulated in Thailand.

[Thai at Heart]

Aren't they just pumping city water with a filter on it?

[Buchholz]

16 per cent had microorganism contamination, mostly coliform bacteria.

MMMmmmm.... yummy.

coliform bacteria are universally present in large numbers in the feces of warm-blooded animals

[jerrysteve]

HOW about the government conficating the machines and slapping the vendors with a 200,000 baht fine, and a monthly periodic ckeck. by the local authorities.

Hit those vendors where it hurts the worst right in their wallets and right in their testicles for good measure so they get the first time.

[jerrysteve]

That water should be served everyday to Parliment...in their tea, coffee etc etc etc

and all the rest of the government officials.

[asiawatcher]

The water vending is a total scam, a composite machine with a crappy filter where buyers pay between 1 & 2 Baht per litre. Install it, connect up the mains supply and walk away. No maintenance and no care. And at a cost of less than 20,000 Baht for your own 'franchise' it is a licence to print money. Just another scam in a long list in Thailand. And as per the OP suggestion, fine them? No - confiscate the machines, refurbish and reinstate them in a regulated manner with regular filter changes based on volume of water passed through the lines - it's not that difficult to monitor and advertise the fact these are regulated and maintained machines. It would be a start.

[lizardtongue]

I never use them but I have, on many occasions been assured by various people, "It's ok, the Thai's use it"

[fareastguy]

Why doesn't this surprise me.. T.I.T

Water quality, testing, maintenance all costs money.. less profits for the boss OHHH NO !

Stuff the consumer, that's cheaper !!

[Semper]

Aren't they just pumping city water with a filter on it?

Yes they are.

[jcgodber]

Aren't they just pumping city water with a filter on it?

Yes they are.

Either the vending machine filters the water OR YOU filter the water

[kutjebu]

How is this a surprise? Give me one example of anything that is regulated in Thailand.

Yes,my yearly visa run,when I've enough money on my bank account.

[bangkokburning]

It is too laugh how back in the usa the party of no woul like nothing better than to do aeay with "worthless" fda and epa. As if murkans sould be any more honest...

[slapout]

Most of the machines in the CM area use municpal water as their source. The muncipatilty discourges consumption of tap water, but allow the commercial vending machines to be installed, to sell admitted contanimated water at additional charges.

Shit in shit out, no matter the package/container, comes to mind.

[Rionoir]

This is one of those things that doesn't even need to be reported, I think anyone who can read just assumes this to be true already.

[Cloggie]

I drink it with my family for more than 10 years already, never a day sick! If it is that bad as I just read then we should have died already.....

[cooked]

It is too laugh how back in the usa the party of no woul like nothing better than to do aeay with "worthless" fda and epa. As if murkans sould be any more honest...

Sorry. I have problems with your posting, completely incomprehensible...

[yoshiwara]

It is too laugh how back in the usa the party of no woul like nothing better than to do aeay with "worthless" fda and epa. As if murkans sould be any more honest...

Sorry. I have problems with your posting, completely incomprehensible...

Its a good one.

[kartman]

I understand Derek and Rodney are very happy at the sales of their machines and how they work.

[davejones]

This is what tap what is like in some places in the UK and USA. Most tap water in those countries breaches safety standards, but the water companies don't get fined. So it's not only here that you get substandard water. That is why water filters are so popular in UK and USA.

[falang07]

Most of the machines in the CM area use municpal water as their source. The muncipatilty discourges consumption of tap water, but allow the commercial vending machines to be installed, to sell admitted contanimated water at additional charges.

Shit in shit out, no matter the package/container, comes to mind.

And what did you think was used as a source for the bottled water sold in department stores? It is the same water, just you pay much more.

[spirit47]

They can't make money with this machines when change the filters in time. And the most of them don't have Knowledge about cleaning. By the way, you should clean your shower-head every month, I do it with normal acid for food. I have 2 stage filter for all the water use in the house, and for drinking water another 2 stage filter. I change all every half year. Why filter all the water? Because your body take some poison over the skin too.

[Thai at Heart]

Most of the machines in the CM area use municpal water as their source. The muncipatilty discourges consumption of tap water, but allow the commercial vending machines to be installed, to sell admitted contanimated water at additional charges.

Shit in shit out, no matter the package/container, comes to mind.

And what did you think was used as a source for the bottled water sold in department stores? It is the same water, just you pay much more.

You ever been in a singha beer factory, that also bottle s water?

[falang07]

you can filter all the water, but you still breathe the polluted air, eat the polluted food, one must die of something in the end anyway

[falang07]

OK, so enlighten me, where does the water come from in the Singha factory? From some pure hill spring perhaps? Or from the same water reservoir that is used used for the municipal water?

[dcutman]

It is too laugh how back in the usa the party of no woul like nothing better than to do aeay with "worthless" fda and epa. As if murkans sould be any more honest...

Sorry. I have problems with your posting, completely incomprehensible...

Its a good one.

Yoshi you understand? Care to translate Bangkokburning Jabber?

[Thai at Heart]

OK, so enlighten me, where does the water come from in the Singha factory? From some pure hill spring perhaps? Or from the same water reservoir that is used used for the municipal water?

Actually the one i know best has bore hole into massive aquifier, reverse osmosis systems, obviously massive boiling capacity, entirely imported bottling, chlorination, uv, and water analysis systems.

So at least nam singha, has very little to do with city piped supply water.