Do local thai people and restaurant use tap water?

[thailanddnaliaht]

okay. It is common sense that not to use tap water for drinking, but what about cooking? some members mention that the pipes in bangkok are old, dirty and contain heavy metals and other dangerous chemicals and ground water can also leaks into the pipe because many of them are broken. Boiling makes the concentration of heavy metals higher.

My questions are:

1. Is tap water of bangkok that dangerous?

2. Can I avoid tap water if I don't cook myself? Does the restaurants use filtered water for cooking? (cooked rice has 60% of water)

[Hornyskunk]

Supposedly, the tap water in Bangkok is completely safe. You can read about it on the website of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (http://www.mwa.co.th/ewtadmin/ewt/mwa_internet_eng/main.php?filename=index). From what I remember, they test water coming out of the tap all over the city, compare the results to independent tests from universities and consistently find that the water everywhere adheres to international standards. There are reports available somewhere on the website.

One of my close friends is the director of a medical research department at Chulalongkorn Hospital. He confided to me that he was forced to install a water filtration system in his laboratory by his students and researchers, who wouldn't believe him that the water was safe and resorted to drinking the distilled water they sometimes use in their work. My girlfriend's father once served as a committee member for the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority. He confided to me that he knows the water is safe, but nobody believes him (including my girlfriend) so everyone uses filtered water at his house.

It seems to me that any Thai that can afford to will use bottled or filtered water for cooking, drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, etc. despite the supposed safety of the tap water. Poor Thais, on the other hand, I have personally witnessed drinking tap water.

No, I do not use tap water.

[timmyp]

This topic has been discussed many times on TV.

The water is fine. Since about two weeks ago, it has a saltwater taste because sea water got into the system. It's fine to drink, it just doesn't taste very good. I have started buying water from the store just because I don't like the taste, but I ran out this morning, and drank the tap water again because I was thirsty.

People don't drink the water because: 1) they aren't aware of the steps the gov has made, 2) they don't trust the gov to do anything correctly. They will often say, "The gov may have cleaned the water, but I don't trust the pipes." I have never met someone who drinks the tap water, Thai or non-Thai.

I got curious if the tap water would make me sick, and as of 1 year ago, I started drinking it unfiltered straight out of the tap. I intentionally drink tap water all over Bangkok, and in all cities that I visit around Thailand that the gov claims are now safe. There is a list of cities on the waterworks website showing what areas in Thailand have drinkable tap water (sorry, all locations are in Thai).

http://www.pwa.co.th/contents/service/save

I have never gotten sick from the water. People are always shocked that I could do something as crazy as drinking the tap water, and people like to jump up and down and scold me for being so stupid. I guess it makes them feel good to do this.

I posted a video about this earlier, here is the link again:

[KhunBENQ]

I am not in Bangkok.

Just commenting,

Here at our place the water comes from a deep well through PVC pipes.

I don't trust the government.

I trust the locals.

Never drank tap water.

Never watched a local drink tap water.

Just recently a sophisticated water filter system (incl. some UV radiation device) has been installed at the village school for children to get free drinking water.

Cost about 80000 Baht with money from some charity in Singapore.

Maybe the Bangkok tap water is treated in a similar way (especially incl. the UV desinfection)?

[jayceenik]

I believe the city tap water is perfectly safe to drink straight out of the tap.
It's only if it transits first in a roof-top storage tank to maintain pressure in the upper floors' water pipe system that a filtration unit is required for safety.

I rent two places - BKK (5th Floor) and Pattaya (3rd Floor) - and in both places I have installed my own water filtration units (Carbon-resin-ceramic).

[matseng]

I usually drink bottled water, but if I'm out of them and don't care like popping down to the local corner store I drink tap water as is, and also make tea/coffee with it. No problems so far. I did the same thing when I lived in Dubai - and there I had friends that was so scared of the tap water they didn't even use it to boil potatoes or steam vegs. :-)

[nemrut]

This topic has been discussed many times on TV.

The water is fine. Since about two weeks ago, it has a saltwater taste because sea water got into the system. It's fine to drink, it just doesn't taste very good. I have started buying water from the store just because I don't like the taste, but I ran out this morning, and drank the tap water again because I was thirsty.

People don't drink the water because: 1) they aren't aware of the steps the gov has made, 2) they don't trust the gov to do anything correctly. They will often say, "The gov may have cleaned the water, but I don't trust the pipes." I have never met someone who drinks the tap water, Thai or non-Thai.

I got curious if the tap water would make me sick, and as of 1 year ago, I started drinking it unfiltered straight out of the tap. I intentionally drink tap water all over Bangkok, and in all cities that I visit around Thailand that the gov claims are now safe. There is a list of cities on the waterworks website showing what areas in Thailand have drinkable tap water (sorry, all locations are in Thai).

http://www.pwa.co.th/contents/service/save

I have never gotten sick from the water. People are always shocked that I could do something as crazy as drinking the tap water, and people like to jump up and down and scold me for being so stupid. I guess it makes them feel good to do this.

I posted a video about this earlier, here is the link again:

Not to be dramatic but just because you haven't gotten sick doesn't mean the water isn't doing longer term damage to your body. Cancer for example, takes years to show up and often without any symptoms.

[Tony125]

I hope those that drink water from the tap realise that just not dirt and bacteria can be in the water but heavy metals that won't make you sick right away but will poison you over time and can cause cancer. Also those that say they have filters but switched to bottled water because the tap tasted a little salty well hey then the water contained sodium that the filters won't extract. If home filters could do that then any country near the sea could put in pipelines directly into the ocean and draw sea water to drink and let home filters clean the salt out and make it dafe to drink, sorry doesn't work that way.

[Tony125]

I hope those that drink water from the tap realise that just not dirt and bacteria can be in the water but heavy metals that won't make you sick right away but will poison you over time and can cause cancer. Also those that say they have filters but switched to bottled water because the tap tasted a little salty well hey then the water contained sodium that the filters won't extract. If home filters could do that then any country near the sea could put in pipelines directly into the ocean and draw sea water to drink and let home filters clean the salt out and make it safe to drink, sorry doesn't work that way.

[brewsterbudgen]

The tap water in Bangkok is fine for cooking, tea/coffee making and teeth cleaning. I'm told it's OK for drinking too (in my condo anyway) but I don't drink it

and don't know anyone who does!

[andrewrooney]

I have drunk Bangkok tap water straight a few times, never gotten sick from it. I used to boil it for coffee, instant noodles etc. on a regular basis. My wife won't touch the stuff, though.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Frankly, I don't think there's any way for anyone to know if the tap water in BKK is safe for drinking.

Yes, the MWA tests the water coming out of their plants and certifies that it's safe -- if you believe their public announcements.

But the issue is, what happens to the water AFTER that, as it travels through old and poorly maintained water system pipes throughout the city, and then goes into buildings' water storage tanks, and then further into often old water pipes in buildings. There's the potential, depending on exactly where you are, for a lot of junk to make its ways into the drinking water that comes out of your tap.

And if you need any further convincing, just look back at past news reports where where independent testing of both public water dispensing machines and even bottled water sold in stores has found significant portions of both supplies being unhealthy....

If you can't even trust the commercial bottles water supplies, how much can you trust the tap water supplies?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's the recent report I was recalling re Thailand's bottled water:

BANGKOK, 23 March 2015 (NNT)-The Ministry of Public Health is making sure drinking water sold in Thailand is clean, as around a million Thais become sick from consuming contaminated water each year.

Public Health Minister Dr. Ratchata Ratchatanawin is having all drinking water available in the market tested for bacteria and heavy metals.

Most of the drinking water products that failed the test last year were found to contain bacteria. Other samples reportedly contained particles and had a metallic taste.

Only 33% of them were deemed consumable and harmless to humans. Dr. Ratchata has also said less than half of the water vending machines available to the public were clean enough to provide water safe for household consumption.

Meanwhile the World Health Organization has revealed that as many as 500,000 people worldwide die from drinking contaminated water annually.


-- NNT 2015-03-23

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811096-thai-health-ministry-testing-drinking-water-for-bacteria-this-summer/

Needless to say, at least thus far, we (the public) have never heard ANY results of that supposed recent round of government water quality testing of commercial bottled water supplies.

[smokie36]

Plenty of Thais in their 90's....I'm not worried although we do use a filter.

[timmyp]

Not to be dramatic but just because you haven't gotten sick doesn't mean the water isn't doing longer term damage to your body. Cancer for example, takes years to show up and often without any symptoms.

You are right, the fact that I have not gotten sick only shows that there are no dangerous microbes in the water. As for boob-generating BPAs, mercury, caesium 134/137, I cannot say. Many people point this out to me after I assure them that the water is safe from gut-wrenching bacteria.

But it seems more like people are just buying into the zeitgeist that there must be something wrong with the water.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Well, when the Thai government ADMITS that large portions of the bottled water and water dispensing machine water supplies are not healthy/safe...

Then, if that's what they're admitting, how much more do you think they may NOT be admitting. I'm not inclined to be trusting my health to them, thanks very much...

[timmyp]

Frankly, I don't think there's any way for anyone to know if the tap water in BKK is safe for drinking.

Yes, the MWA tests the water coming out of their plants and certifies that it's safe -- if you believe their public announcements.

But the issue is, what happens to the water AFTER that, as it travels through old and poorly maintained water system pipes throughout the city, and then goes into buildings' water storage tanks, and then further into often old water pipes in buildings. There's the potential, depending on exactly where you are, for a lot of junk to make its ways into the drinking water that comes out of your tap.

And if you need any further convincing, just look back at past news reports where where independent testing of both public water dispensing machines and even bottled water sold in stores has found significant portions of both supplies being unhealthy....

You're making good points TallGuy that others have brought up to me. To challenge the-pipes-could-be-nasty argument, I drink the water all over the city. If I eat at a restaurant, I'll drink water from the tap. If I go to my friend's apartment, I drink tap water there. I don't have a Super Intestine, but I still haven't gotten sick. It suggests to me that everyone's fears are overblown. Of course I can't say for sure, and as wide as my sampling is, it's hardly a real survey of water safety.

I saw that article about the water dispensers before, and had heard prior to reading it that the water dispensers are sketchy because they aren't maintained very well.

The article about bottled water was a surprise to me when it came out, and just reassured to me what a scam the bottled water industry is.

[tonray]

38 baht for 6 liters of water at 7. cheap enough and easy to carry with built in handle

[saakura]

After a couple of very young staff died of cancer in our very old office building in downtown Bangkok, the rest of the staff got scared and demanded the tap drinking water be tested. Samples were sent to a specialised testing lab in Bangkok (and later, to a UK lab too) and all came out ok. It is quite an old building, but we have all been drinking the tap water (through a simple 3 stage filter) for over 10 years.

[Acharn]

It is accepted wisdom not to use tap water in Bangkok, not common sense. I lived in Bangkok for 28 years. At work I drank filtered water, but was always concerned because they had not changed the filter in over fifteen years. At home I drank only tap water for the last twelve years I lived there after my first wife died. The web site at the municipal water works somebody referenced is absolutely correct. I drink bottled water here in Nakhon Sawan when they're watching because I don't want them to worry uselessly, but when they're not watching I refill the bottles with tap water. Even they agree that tap water is OK if you boil it, so they let me use tap water in my air pot for making coffee, even though it doesn't actually boil water. Trust me, the Thais use tap water for cooking. I believe bottled water is a huge scam, and tests of the water have shown that *some* bottled water is a lot more dangerous than what comes out of the tap, while some of the rest *is* water that comes out of the tap -- they just take tap water and put it in bottles and sell it.

That said, I have to admit it was not always this way. Back in 1972 we had two young officers take a trip through the countryside over a weekend and they contracted hepatitis from ice that was made from contaminated water. On the other hand, when I was living out in the country, Wang Nam Khiao in Nakhon Ratchasima province, the water we used for drinking, when rain water wasn't available, which was most of the year, came from a pond where the buffalo used to go piss and wallow in the mud. I figure if I could survive that for a year my immune system can handle anything Thailand can throw at me.

[Minnehaha]

Plenty of Thais in their 90's....I'm not worried although we do use a filter.

plenty of Thais dead or sick from cancer, particularly 'chocolate cysts' on ovaries. I know more than 5 women who have had these.

if you believe the 'holistic medical' clinics that charge big money we all have heavy metals in our bodies. I don't believe them but think there are metals and other harmful material that comes in the piped water and the pipes are the primary problem.

I would echo what has been said:

the water is fine.

but the pipes are not.

I unscrewed the screen filter on my tap in the master bath because I had a 1 inch clump of something pushing through. I cleaned it out and could not believe the crap that came out, including some sort of dust clump but could have been decomposed hair from a rat or something that died in the tank on our condo building roof? add to that the amount of sand and metalic particles in the screen. also interesting was the view of the inside of the tap pipe, which looked rough and corroded. I would never see this unless I used a mirror and light to see up into the tap. So then I went to the kitchen and got a similar fright. now I clean these screens every few months. and we are buying a filter for the condo for all water that comes in. I am not sure but suspect I may need somekind of pump to push it around, as the water heaters require an amount of pressure to work.

[Guest]

I live in bangkok five years.

Although I do not drink tap water, I do use it sometimes to make tea, since it is brought to a rolling boil.

I drink the (hopefully) filtered water at street stalls, and no problems yet .. and yes .. with ice.

I buy bottled water, and then refill those bottles 3 times in the lobby of the condo, they have a really great double system for 1 baht per bottle.
So, I think per moth, we spend about 230THB for the two of us. (6 fresh bottles at start of month = 180 + 3 fill ups ... 50 THB)


After 3 uses, i recycle the bottles .. since at that point, I believe mold etc .. can grab hold.

In short, probably safe, but at the ridiculously low price of water in BKK .. why risk it?

[BKKBobby]

I use tap water for all cooking and boiling water for coffee. I have previously asked my girlfriend if anyone drinks tap water and the answer was that there are poor people that do so.

[BuaBS]

I know this is the Bangkok forum , but if you are worried about Bangkok water , people living in rural area's should be panicking !

Water is different here every day . Sometimes it reeks of chlorine , other times some other chemical , if we're lucky a neutral smell.

Sometimes it is sandy , other times it has stuff in it that clogg the shower head.

I sure don't drink it, but people here let their dog drink it.

Pretty sure restaurants use it to wash food with it. Cheap restaurants don't have filters , and are not going to use the big 20 ? liter plastic bottles for it.

Bad enough I have to wash myself in it. Sometimes it's so bad , that I wouldn't wash my car with it.

[timmyp]

I live in bangkok five years.

Although I do not drink tap water, I do use it sometimes to make tea, since it is brought to a rolling boil.

I use tap water for all cooking and boiling water for coffee. I have previously asked my girlfriend if anyone drinks tap water and the answer was that there are poor people that do so.

If metals are the concern, as so many people are expressing, then boiling isn't going to make it safer (in fact, it just makes it more concentrated, as the OP pointed out).

The tap water is safe from microbes, so there really isn't any reason to boil it, other than enjoying a hot drink.

I think many Thai folks largely drink bottled water because they want to make it clear that they are not those poor people BKKBobby's girlfriend mentioned.

I agree that buying bottled water is not expensive, but it's apparently just taken from the tap, and in the end, it winds up being more questionable than the tap water (I'm referring the article someone posted above).

[timmyp]

I know this is the Bangkok forum , but if you are worried about Bangkok water , people living in rural area's should be panicking !

Water is different here every day . Sometimes it reeks of chlorine , other times some other chemical , if we're lucky a neutral smell.

Sometimes it is sandy , other times it has stuff in it that clogg the shower head.

I sure don't drink it, but people here let their dog drink it.

Pretty sure restaurants use it to wash food with it. Cheap restaurants don't have filters , and are not going to use the big 20 ? liter plastic bottles for it.

Bad enough I have to wash myself in it. Sometimes it's so bad , that I wouldn't wash my car with it.

What amphoe/amphur do you live in, BuaBS?

I would gamble the restaurants don't use that water to wash the food with, that they use water from the 20 L bottle.

[Sheryl]

Actually it depends entirely on your pipes. If they are old, there may be some leaching of heavy metals into the water (if you get rust-like stains in sink or tub, that's a sign).

You can easily get a filter that attaches to the water tap if concerned on this score.

As others have noted, microbes (bacteria etc) are not an issue...unless the pipes under the ground are worn to the point that there is some ground seepage going in.

[craigt3365]

Think of the source. The Chao Phraya river. I'd hate to think of what's been dumped into it. Including chemical waste from upstream. Think of the credibility of the local government. Then, consider how well maintained the pipes are from the water plant to your source. One small crack can let all sorts of nasties in. Some 600 recently got sick in Rayong from tap water. I'll stick with the bottled water.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The concern here is, you're being asked to trust people/entities that aren't inherently trustworthy when it comes to public health and safety -- that being the Thai regulatory agencies and the Thai bottled water industry.

Basically, there are three types of contaminants to deal with in water supplies:

--sediment and other physical particles

--chemicals, metals, etc.

--organic contaminants like bacteria.

Boiling isn't going to remove metals, chemicals, sediment etc. And filters won't necessarily remove bacteria.

But AFAIK, using a two-step process at home of first filtering water (tap or bottled) with a good filtration system and then boiling it before use ought to pretty much cover the bases -- and certainly is more reliable if you manage the process yourself and make sure you're changing your water filters regularly and as required.

I trust my own system a whole lot more than I trust the Thai government that does testing that finds only 1/3rd of bottled water supplies are safe/healthy to drink, and then responds by merely urging the bottled water industry to do a better job....

BTW, just because someone doesn't get immediately ill from drinking water doesn't mean the water is safe to drink. Bacteria may cause acute illness. But other contaminants such as metals and pesticides, etc are more likely to cause longer-term health issues that you may never know had any connection to the water you're drinking. So, up to you if you want to take those chances... For me, I don't.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

As others have noted, microbes (bacteria etc) are not an issue...unless the pipes under the ground are worn to the point that there is some ground seepage going in.

Or the water storage tanks that hold the water supply for your building aren't clean and properly maintained...