What's the deal with tap/drinking water in Delhi?

Nick-H · Sep 26th, 2009, 20:12

Anyone who is getting reliably safe water from their taps is really, really lucky!

I don't know if Delhi has any high-pressure water mains. One of the possible problems with Indian water is that it is not delivered under sufficient pressure to make it come out of the taps. Even at ground level, sometimes it may flow from a tap, but when you see women pumping, they are not, here in the city, pumping from a well, they are pumping from the water supply pipe. Water has to be pumped up to roof-top tanks, from which it reaches the building's taps. We have our 500-litre tank emptied and scrubbed about once a month... not really good enough for drinking water, even if what we fill it with was metro-treated chlorinated water, which it isn't.

webwalla · Sep 26th, 2009, 20:18

Drinking the tap water? Are you crazy? Don't do it. Like earlier posters have stated, many people filter the "tap water" again or boil it. With so many broken sewer and water pipes, this is a huge huge risk. If you keep it up, you might land yourself a short stay in the hospital.

suricate · Sep 26th, 2009, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

I don't know if Delhi has any high-pressure water mains. One of the possible problems with Indian water is that it is not delivered under sufficient pressure to make it come out of the taps.

Well, at least in some parts of India water is delivered under high
pressure. But it is hardly relevant when you consider the fact that
water supply all over India is usually intermittent, i.e. water is supplied
(perhaps at pressure) only for a few hours a day. Consequently, the
high pressure inside the pipes is not maintained rest of the time. In fact,
some amount of low pressure develops inside the pipes once the supply
is stopped. One can easily verify this by opening a tap when there
is no supply. Usually one will hear air being sucked in from outside!
This low pressure inside is dangerous, potentially allowing for
all sorts of contaminants to be sucked in inside the pipes
through some inadvertent openings somewhere.

Nick-H · Sep 26th, 2009, 21:36

Quote:

Well, at least in some parts of India water is delivered under high
pressure. But it is hardly relevant when you consider the fact that
water supply all over India is usually intermittent, i.e. water is supplied
(perhaps at pressure) only for a few hours a day. Consequently, the
high pressure inside the pipes is not maintained rest of the time.

And that is the most important point of all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by webwalla

Drinking the tap water? Are you crazy?

Nope! That's why I don't do it

capt_mahajan · Sep 26th, 2009, 21:38

Even I am not crazy enough for that

wat · Oct 8th, 2009, 02:01

We use water directly from the bore well. If the water is from gov supply, it has to be boiled. Don't take chances with your health.

delhiwala · Oct 8th, 2009, 02:18

Groundwater is highly contaminated at many places...

NonIndianResident · Nov 13th, 2009, 14:26

"And they can very easily harbour all sorts of micro-organisms you can't easily get rid of. You can only clean the surface by brushing and washing. You can't easily get at whatever is harboured inside the coarse pores. Do you take the time boiling the candles themselves periodically?"

But the microorganisms that live in a filter and its ceramic candles that you only put boiled water through can not be disease pathogens! If you are trying to live a life with NO exposure to micro-organisms at all, would you boil yourself, inside and out, to be sure? That way lies mental illness.

I did that exact system, putting boiled water through a ceramic filter, when we lived in a small town that had tap water that left a heavy sediment of white minerals when you boiled and cooled it. It tasted better through the filter.

I am told that those ceramic filters actually do filter out most of the pathogens: definitely the larger parasites (giardia and amoebas) which are the worst ones to contract anyway, and probably all the bacteria. They won't filter out the viruses, but you've had your Hepatitis A jabs, right? The only risk would be one of those obscure water-borne Hep types, like E.

Sep 26th, 2009, 21:38	#80
capt_mahajan Infidel Sufi Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: styx Posts: 13,605	Even I am not crazy enough for that __________________ . Outside the machine

Oct 8th, 2009, 02:18	#82
delhiwala IM what IM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Indeyah ! Posts: 4,813	Groundwater is highly contaminated at many places... __________________ Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

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Sep 26th, 2009, 20:12	#76
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,189	Anyone who is getting reliably safe water from their taps is really, really lucky! I don't know if Delhi has any high-pressure water mains. One of the possible problems with Indian water is that it is not delivered under sufficient pressure to make it come out of the taps. Even at ground level, sometimes it may flow from a tap, but when you see women pumping, they are not, here in the city, pumping from a well, they are pumping from the water supply pipe. Water has to be pumped up to roof-top tanks, from which it reaches the building's taps. We have our 500-litre tank emptied and scrubbed about once a month... not really good enough for drinking water, even if what we fill it with was metro-treated chlorinated water, which it isn't.

Sep 26th, 2009, 20:18	#77
webwalla Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Helena, Montana Posts: 12	Drinking the tap water? Are you crazy? Don't do it. Like earlier posters have stated, many people filter the "tap water" again or boil it. With so many broken sewer and water pipes, this is a huge huge risk. If you keep it up, you might land yourself a short stay in the hospital.

Oct 8th, 2009, 02:01	#81
wat Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: India Posts: 55	We use water directly from the bore well. If the water is from gov supply, it has to be boiled. Don't take chances with your health.

Nov 13th, 2009, 14:26	#83
NonIndianResident Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: India Posts: 114	"And they can very easily harbour all sorts of micro-organisms you can't easily get rid of. You can only clean the surface by brushing and washing. You can't easily get at whatever is harboured inside the coarse pores. Do you take the time boiling the candles themselves periodically?" But the microorganisms that live in a filter and its ceramic candles that you only put boiled water through can not be disease pathogens! If you are trying to live a life with NO exposure to micro-organisms at all, would you boil yourself, inside and out, to be sure? That way lies mental illness. I did that exact system, putting boiled water through a ceramic filter, when we lived in a small town that had tap water that left a heavy sediment of white minerals when you boiled and cooled it. It tasted better through the filter. I am told that those ceramic filters actually do filter out most of the pathogens: definitely the larger parasites (giardia and amoebas) which are the worst ones to contract anyway, and probably all the bacteria. They won't filter out the viruses, but you've had your Hepatitis A jabs, right? The only risk would be one of those obscure water-borne Hep types, like E.