Water Purification

camelgirl

That First Need looks really good. Better and cheaper than the Aquastar which was originally asked about.

The link was very informative-- thanks.

I used to carry a heavy ceramic Katadyn and always used it in India & Nepal in hotels, or trekking. Never got sick. But it wasn't really a purifier. I guess it was good enough. I still have it but it's big and heavy so I now have a Pur Voyager, which I haven't actually used yet. I'll probably bring it to India on our next trip in a couple of months.

kpnuts

I understand you can buy and have installed water purification system in your house in India. Any one can suggest which is good? and where to get it it in Goa (South)? Are they safe? and what maintanance is required.

Nick-H

A wide range of stuff is available, from a stand-alone filter thingy, to a filter you put on the end of your tap, through a kitchen-top reverse-osmosis unit --- to a plant to filter, reverse osmosis treat, and even soften water for a whole house, which would be an expensive option.

What you would buy depends entirely on where you are, where your water comes from (well, bore, local authority piped, tanker delivered) and what is likely to be in it.

Water here is not a simple one-size-fits-all topic!

Being a bit of gadget maniac, I always thought I'd get a fancy reverse-osmis thingy (around 10 or 12 thousand Rs, I think) --- but then I figured how many Rs30 20ltr cans of water that would buy me.

Have a look here for some products from just one company.

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

kpnuts

looks like rs30 for 20ltr way to go (for 2 months stay)
Thanks Nick

Nick-H

You may have to pay Rs100 deposit on the can.

But I don't think that will worry you too much

Karunama

Hi there,

where are those of you staying long-term in Delhi getting their drinking water from? My husband usually buys the big 20l-Bisleri water canisters, however, after what I’ve read about the quality of Indian bottled water (I’m talking about the pesticides issue) I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea in the long run. I also wonder if this is safe to drink if it has been sitting around in the heat for a week or sometimes longer when we’re out of town.

What about the waterfilters that middle-class Indians have in their homes (Aquapura, Aquaguard or whatever the names are)? I’m looking for something that doesn’t only get rid of bacteria, amoebas and stuff like that but also chemicals and hopefully the awful chlorine taste as well. Is there such a thing?

One more question: I know some westerners based in India who soak all fruit and other fresh stuff that can’t be peeled or boiled (such as grapes) in a solution of water and potassium permanganate which they then wash off with purified water. Is this stuff safe to use in the long run? Somehow I can’t imagine it’s very healthy.

Just in case you wonder: No, I’m not paranoid, I’ve just had a lot of health troubles in India before (amoebic dysentery, giardia, the lot) and since I’ll be staying in Delhi open-end I need some advice on the safe water/food issue.
So what do all of you experienced Dilliwallahs and Dilliwallis-by-choice do?

Cheers,
Karuna

federica

Karunama, I've just written you a long reply, unfortunately it vanished...

Check the website of Katadyn, epecially the Katadyn Combi filter could be useful for you, depending on the size of your daily consumption of drinking water. It comes with an active carbon cartridge, and that is what you need to filter chlorine taste and chemicals out. Unfortunately, it is very important to exchange this cartridge frequently (quite often), otherwise it becomes a hotbed for germs.

Karunama

Namaste everyone,

The more I do research on this drinking water topic, the more confused I become. For instance, some people say that filters based on reverse osmosis technology leave the water "dead", whatever that means. But then, people here in Germany are really into mineral water, and I wonder does it really make a big difference if drinking water contains minerals or not?

Is there anybody out there who could shed some light on this confusing topic for dummies like me who don't have a degree in natural sciences or nutrition???
Again, I don't need a water purifier for travelling but something for long-term use in our Delhi flat.


Cheers,
Karuna

federica

I met people in India who drink only rain water... and they were alive and happy... I am not talking about people who don't have other options, I am talking about well educated environmentalists who collect the rainwater in a tank. Still can't understand this. (rainwater contains no minerals unless it passes through sand/gravel)

I was always reluctant about this reverse osmosis thing, and the water also doesn't taste very good (a lot of bottled water in India is purified in this way). As far as I know, water without minerals leads to demineralization of your body (that's why you mustn't drink distilled water). The reason is the osmotic process going on in your body (your cells try to equalize the amount of minerals).

Compared to that, water with the right amount of minerals is considered to be good for your body. (That's why tender cocnut water is so healthy)

The high consume of mineral water in Germany was also caused by drinking water scandals in the 80ies (pesticides, high amount of nitrates), and later people got used to it that it is "more healthy", so they are going on with this habit. Although in some areas the quality of the tap water is better than that of some mineral waters...

The filter I suggested before can be connected to your water tap. If you want to purify the cooking water, too, I think you need a bigger and really permanent system. I am not experienced with them, we had one in our office but it was not in use, maybe because it needs frequent changing of filters/cartridges.

Anyway, all the filters usually don't flter viruses out, so if you want to be 100% safe, you have to filter and boil the water...

Nick-H

In the end I fitted an RO unit.

The water has a machine flavour, but I think it is flushing itself through and wearing off.

I'm not too worried about the minerals; I'm sure we get them from elsewhere. 50% of every cup of tea I drink is milk --- and tea is probably my major fluid intake.

Karunama

Thanks, Federica. This was helpful. I think I'll make do with the Bisleri cans for a start and do some more research once I'm in Delhi. And I'll certainly check the Katadyn website. In fact, I used to have one of their ceramic filters but didn't use it much during my travels because the water tasted pretty strange (to me).
And I'm not worried about the cooking water - I think boiling will do the trick.

federica

Even in a tea without milk there are minerals... In big RO units a special amount of salt/minerals is added again later, no idea about home units.

Here in Germany it is quite in these days to buy salty mineral stones and put them in a jug of normal tap water to "energize" it...

In India we used to pour boilt water into a traditional Tamil clay jar to keep it cool... the water had a little bit of a strange ceramic taste (like Katadyn ) but always the right temperature

Noodle

Nick, that's not very healthy at all! Tea (and coffee) dehydrate the body. You need water - or juices, fruits etc to make up for that.

I was told that the standard Aqua Guard which is frequently used in India has a system of three filters, one of which is a UV light that kills bacteria and viruses, microbes etc.

Not sure if it's true though. Does anyone know?

In any case I have been 'living' on Aqua Guard water for the past 11 years, for drinking and cooking.

Edit: Shaktipalooza, in the beginning of this thread, also said it:

__________________
If in hole
stop digging.

Indian saying

Nick-H

Noodle, I have a body which has been specially adapted to accept its fluid intake in the form of chai! I'm not recommending that others follow my example

I think there are numerous models for aquaguard. If you had a UV unit, and you haven't replaced the UV tube, it has probably been useless for several of the past 11 years! I'm pretty sure they do need maintenance and don't last for ever.

Noodle

Nick, I wasn't born yesterday! Our Aquaguard has been maintainanced every 6 months by the company. Tubes replaced, filters replaced etc. You pay 800Rs a year and have all maintainance free, including repair if some parts blow.

It's still the same machine we bought 11 years ago, only the inner parts have been replaced over time