What about Water??

adam_carsis

Just a few questions.
I am going to travel the north half of India and nepal for total 6months.
1. Will I have to live entirely off bottled water for the whole time?
2. How much is bottled water in RS. Can you get it everywhere, even in small towns?
3. Has anyone read about or used the Survival Straw??
Link= http://www.campingsurvival.com/sustcowapusy.html
4. I am going to india from Sept 06 to feb 06. Mostly winter in the north. What are mosquitoes like during that time? How about in Nepal?

Thanks everyone!!!!!

dhans

Unless you want to suck it all day long. During our last visit we bought water all the time (around 12 rs per litre, less for larger containers). I've used iodine on earlier trips, but only if no bottled water was available. It does the job, but the taste is lousy.

For the full report see:

http://www.indiamike.com/india/journ...urnal&j=9 402

Happy travels,

Hans

__________________

Tips for trips to India with (young) children: India with kids
Stories about our travels in India: Journal

soki

Survival Straw sounds great. Let me know if works . I know couple of travelers which carry a water filter (mine is a MSR one). i think is a good idea also because u can help the environment a little bit: if u drink 1 bottles of water daily u will maybe throw almost 200 plastic recipients in the "recycle bin".. within u'r 6 month travel. Lucky you if all of those 200 bottles are veritable . Fake bottled water recipients happen in India sometimes. Also broken filters .

dani

For emergencies I carry with me a Katadyn Filter.
That's a high quality product, proven for many decades.
The mini version is very light and I found it sufficient for one or two persons if you only plan to use it occasionally.

I would not trust the survival straw. Either is the performance that poor that you will die from thirst while using it, or it doesn't really improve the water quality...

rangers

Danis idea on Katadyne filter is a true comapnion .I use it coz coz I dont want to leave these plastic on the fragile zones and India has a very poor system of recyling them.So why not support the nature by a good habit.
and they make a big hole in ur pocket at some points.
chhers.

vistet

With clear water (I run mine thru a simple coffee filter ) you can halve the concentration and double the contact time . See High Altitude´s water page for details.

soki

Good info on that page. Betadine, which looks a good option after reading the page above, is available and is not expansive in India.

Shaktipalooza

I've become a devotee to the steripen

__________________
IndiaGroove - Train finder now in beta!
Pics from India 2006
Traditional Indian Dance

arbolmilenario

Buff! I feel overwhelmed from Reading so much about water filters and different ideas to drink safe water.

In our trip to India (in a month) we would like to either try
*the famous steripen
* Katadyn water bottle with micro filter http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Micro-..._sbs_sg_img_14
http://products.katadyn.com/brands-a...Series_25.html

We have our doubts about both of them like, for example,
How long will the steripen last? What if it breaks like some people have mentioned? Can I just put it inside the water bottles that we buy?

We didn´t want to use so much plastic and that is why we thought about the Katadyn water bottle… but, we are also scared of not lasting enough (we´ll be there 6 weeks). If we have to buy 3 or 4 of these in that case, we could get a better filter then… ????

ANY SUGGESTIONS?????

Shaktipalooza

I think my original steripen was rated for around 5,000 uses. Looks like there is a new model rated for 10,000 uses. Looks like it has the same rubberized rim that allows inserting the pen into a water bottle, tipping upside down and sterilizing. Or of course you can just stir it in a nalgene bottle or glass.

Here's a demo video.

Steripen video

zoltan

> 1. Will I have to live entirely off bottled water for the whole time?

I think this question has been well answered.

> 2. How much is bottled water in RS. Can you get it everywhere, even in small towns?

The prices in Kmd. is around rp12 per litre. For larger bottles, the price is slightly cheaper. I am guessing that smaller places will have bottled water but if you are going off the beaten track (ie. where tourists normally don't go), then you may be out of luck.

> 4. I am going to india from Sept 06 to feb 06. Mostly winter in the north.
> What are mosquitoes like during that time? How about in Nepal?

Depends where you go, as to the mosquitoe problem. In some areas, they are very prevalent (mainly on the plains). But in the hills and, I believe over 2500 meters above sea level, the mozzies that have the malarial diseases can't survive. Nepal does not (to my knowledge), have any malarial problems.

However, given the changes with climate change, this situation is sure to change and the likelihood of malaria being found at higher altitudes will become more obvious in the coming years.

I would recommend that you talk with your GP about the prevalence of malaria, based on the regions you will be visiting.

Cheers
Zoltan

__________________
India (and other) photos click here

*jyoti*

Water is 12-13 rupees for a one liter bottle, 20-22 rupees for a two liter bottle. The cost is not prohibitive, but I find that in the hot season I'm going thru at least 2 liters a day and that's a lot of water bottles. I am in one place long enough to buy a 20 liter just (only 60 rupees and they reuse the container).

Nick-H

A 12-ltr can is a good compromise, and can be resealed with its screw-cap and carried

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

dhans

12 kilograms? Carried?

Hans

vistet

That´s impossible , I would have to ditch the espresso machine

__________________
high road to ..