Let’s get practical for a second. The water situation in India can be dangerous. While many of the higher end restaurants serve filtered water, there is always a bit of a concern. The water supply in India can often be full of different types of pollutants and it’s typically extremely unsafe to drink. Understanding the drinking water situation in India is a must to prevent getting sick.
Bad water is the #1 cause of dysentery and parasite infection in India and around the world, so be prepared when you visit India or any other foreign country that may not have a safe public water supply.
Here are 9 Safety Tips for Drinking Water in India
1) Always Use a Straw!
Drink your bottled water, juice or soda with a straw. Or do as the locals do– pour the soda into your mouth without touching the can or bottle to your lips. You can even bring your own pack of straws to be safe.
2) Drink Soda and Juices from a Can
Yep, my number one and two tips are to choose drinks other than water! Drinking juice or soda from a can is a safe option. Glass soda bottles are very common in India and you’ll see brands such as Nimbooz (lemon drink), Mango Frooti (mango drink), Limca or Coke.
3) Drink Fresh Coconuts
Fresh coconuts are my favorite in any country. They are extremely good for hydration and providing electrolytes. These electrolytes are especially helpful in hot climates. Note: If you want to be super careful, don’t drink coconuts unless you’re satisfied with the cleanliness of the knife that the coconut vendor is using and then make sure to use your own straw.
4) Drink Bottled Mineral Water
The best bottled mineral water brands in India are: Bisleri, Kinley and Aquafina. Double check the bottles are still sealed. It’s important to check the seal because it has been known that shop owners will refill the bottles and try to glue the lid back on.
5) Avoid Ice in Drinks
Typically the water used to make ice is not sanitary. Better to be safe than sorry!
6) Bring a SteriPen & Iodine Tablets
An affordable product that works well is a Steripen Freedom Water Purifier
To be 100% safe, it is also good to use Water Purification Tablets
7) Supplement with Electrolytes
Adding electrolytes and multivitamins
8) Brush teeth with bottled mineral water
I also travel in Mexico quite a bit and I have gotten into the habit of always brushing my teeth while traveling with bottled water. Since all tap water in India is usually contaminated with both bacteria & pollutants, it’s not safe, even for brushing your teeth. Another reason to take this precaution is because the gums can be a direct path to the blood stream allowing infection to get in.
9) Bring a Grayl Quest Grayl Water Filtration
bottle
I was so excited to try out the Grayl water bottle with filter. The bottle comes with three optional filters; a tap filter for everyday water, an international travel filter which I took to on my Mexico trip and a hiking trail filter. The filters can be interchanged and all you do is pop on the filter of your choice, fill the empty outer cup with water and then push the inner cup with filter down so water passes through as filtered clean water(think French press). The bottles are BPA-free plastic. Pretty cool invention! Check out the Grayl Quest Grayl Water Filtration
Click here for my full review on the Grayl Quest Grayl Water Filtration Bottle.
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