Water Purification

Satyagraha

Has anyone heard of the Aquastar Ultraviolet filter?

I've read a few reviews and it all sounds pretty good.

See this site for details - http://uvaquastar.com/what_is_aquastar.php

Shaktipalooza

same concept as the steripen which you can now buy for about the same price. The Steripen uses AA batteries while the Aquaguard uses camera batteries.

I took the Steripen to India this year and would still prefer it since it's built to be used with any container you choose. Especially helpful if you want to quickly and discreetly treat table water at a restaurant.

In my opinion UV is the best choice for treating water. It neutralizes viruses, something filters simply don't do.

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camelgirl

There has always been alot of confusion about water filters and water purifiers. The steripen is a purifier. It won't take out anything inert that's in the water. It kills organisims in CLEAR water. If the water is cloudy it won't work well.

I have a water filter/purifier which does both and I used to bring it and use it on every trip to South Asia. I don't take it with me to India anymore because I can readily get safe bottled water.

This link tells you most of what you need to know about filters and purifiers. The beginning is about the steripen but further down is about the rest.

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/tra...s/steripen.htm

Satyagraha

But do you not consider the environmental implications of using bottled water?

camelgirl

In 1970 I read a book called "The Waste Makers" by Vance Packard which changed my life. And this was well before bottled water existed anywhere in the world . I highly recommend it and have thought about the environmental implications of most everything I do since I read that book. Including flying in a big polluting jet plane to get to India--my first trip was by overland bus and the only pollution was seriously disgusting black smog from deisel engines.

Every bottle of soda in India was glass and recycled my first four trips. I was there before they had a single plastic soda bottle.

I rarely drink soda, too sweet, but they only come in plastic now.


I personally think a bigger and equally serious plastic problem is plastic bags/sacks. The whole developing world just loves them. They now decorate the trees and bushes of every developing country. Take a ride down a road in rural Mexico. About 2 miles before you get to the next town, every bush is flying plastic bags. Revolting.

The steripen uses lots of batteries. Nothing is perfect.

At home I never buy bottled water but use a filter to take out the chlorine taste which is very strong in my municipal water.

I buy bottled water in India because I'm not perfect and don't want to carry a water filter/purifier anymore. I'm hoping the clever and intelligent and technologically brilliant Indians do recycling. Millions and millions of Indians are using way more plastic than tourists and travelers and it's a big problem they need to solve.

I guess the point of this whole defensive rant is that nothing is as simple as it seems. Me not using bottled water in India isn't going to touch their vast environmental problems. (Like overpopulation, deforestation, desertification, CO2 pollution, etc., etc.)

Nick-H

Well, it might help more than you think, as I think some of the big drinks companies are doing serious ecological harm...

There are still fizzy drinks in recyclable glass bottles but they are few and far between among the plastic ones.

Packaged water remains the most practical option. If you are staying in one place long enough you can buy 12 or 25 litre cans (recycled) and refill the bottle you take out with you. Fine for residents, but probably no good for most tourists (though if you are doing the trips by car you might consider it.

Very many of those plastic bottles do get recycled, as does a lot of other waste plastic. India has a whole community of "scavengers" who sort through all the rubbish rescuing and reselling all sorts of stuff. I remember a picture (maybe here) of family sitting on a mountain of broken glass recovering the metal parts from the bulbs! ---only in India!

Plastic bags. Oh dear, the answer to that one is for each of us to take our shopping bag to tyhe shops. And when I do: I end up putting the plastic bags the shop gave me inside the shopping bag! At least I've realised how stupid it is to bu platic bin bags to throw away my plastic shop bags in; it took a while for that penny to drop.

Even in the "Plastic-Free Nilgris" shops still gave us stuff in plastic bags

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manojb

I use Bisleri 20l water cans currently, but am thinking of switching to a water filter/purifier. Reasons being that my water usage has increased resulting in very frequent refills, it is a chore to get the refill, and the price of the refill was increased recently. The Aquaguard I-Nova was recommended to me, but costs 8000+ Rs. Still thinking about it.

70s-80s overlander

The AquaStar website http://uvaquastar.com/product_info.p...products_id/32
lists a nifty auxilliary power supply kit -- for USD 39 [on top of the USD 99 for the AquaStar]:
"The AquaStar AUX Power Kit provides an alternative to running your purifier on built-in batteries. Supplied with a drop-in power regulator module that fits in the battery compartment, a replacement battery cover, a wall current adapter designed for 110VAC to 240V 50/60Hz that fits North American outlets, and a cigarette lighter adapter. For use with any 6-24 VDC, 6W rated power sources that have a 2.5mm coaxial plug, including other battery packs or solar panel." And this brings up a question I have wondered about for other reasons: do Indian cars/taxis have the 12-volt "cigarette lighters" that are standard on US cars?

lotus blossom

this is an issue that very much interests and concerns me. the environmental impact, as well as the health implications of drinking water that has been sitting in plastic, are important considerations.

i, like camelgirl, want to travel as light as possible, not wanting to carry more than i have to, despite lugging aroung a laptop and a camera (for my work). i do, however, want to leave as little waste behind as possible, as a guest in india, and on this planet.

plastic is a petroleum product, it is toxic from production to disposal and all processes in between, not something that i want to support.

there is the survival straw http://www.alloysafe.com/products.ph...d=13&catid =2 a both lightweight and small alternative that i want to learn more about as a possible option to my traveling water dilemma.

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Nick-H

Manojb, same here, although we get the cans delivered easily.

I'm thinking of the HindustanLever PureIT. It is much cheaper than the aquaguard stuff, maybe Rs1500. There is a cartridge that has to be replaced, I don't know how much it costs. I've seen them advertise something like Rs1 per litre costs.

Shaktipalooza

Absolutely true, sort of. If the water is silty the uv action can actually be more effective. I think 99.99% of travelers to India don't need to worry about 'cloudy' water, more of a backcountry camping issue. I think if some murky, semi-translucent water were brought to my dining table I'd be more than a little concerned about the food as well. Is there a travel filter for chicken biryani?

Anyway, prefilter is available for the steripen if needed.

It does very well with rechargeable batteries.

Bottled water is probably most common choice for people traveling to India. Unfortunately it can be questionable even if it comes from a plastic bottle. There have been numerous reports of bottled water having fecal contamination beyond the limits of international standards.

camelgirl

I really didn't want to have to bring my purifier/filter but now I'm feeling insecure again. It's really very light and small (Pur Voyager). I'm quite lazy--it happens when you get older

marikac

I'm headed to Nepal for about 6 months and I'm hoping to use the MSR Miox for water....avoiding bottles at all costs as the impact in Nepal is quite large from this.

Anyone used this travelling in Asia at all??? I'm curious to hear success or failure stories doing this. I will take a back up chemical purification as well but I am hoping not to have to use this.

Love to hear your thoughts!!

camelgirl

I never saw this before but just read up on it and it looks very interesting. The tester really liked it. The only downside (according to the tester & review) is it uses a specific kind of battery which may be hard to find in Nepal, it doesn't work to filter floaties, it is only a purifier & it can take up to 5 hours to kill serious stuff--and Nepal does have the most serious stuff in it's water.

gregornot

namaste,
Myself with an weak GI have always used a First Need Deluxe Water Purifier More info can be found at about the difference of filters and purifiers can be found by clicking the on the link (Expert Advice: How to Choose Water Filters/Purifiers) above First Need Deluxe Water Purifier photo.This should 6 months or 125 gallons(don't forget to get an extra First Need Deluxe Canister this would be my choice for a short term trip each canister is good for about 125 gallons and come with a blue dye kit that allow you to check the quality of the water that is being produced. of course if I was going treaking I would go with a more heavy duty one.

But for me I carry a water bottle or a camelback pack.
For me it is more important to be safe rather than be styling or using batteries, that may not always be available.
but that my INR 2, on the subject
gregor

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