Is It Safe to Drink Tap Water in India? | Intrepid Travel (2024)

FAQs

Is It Safe to Drink Tap Water in India? | Intrepid Travel? ›

We don't recommend drinking tap water in India, as it's just not worth the risk (or the stomach cramps). India is notorious among travelers for sickness – waterborne diseases are common due to bacterial contamination in public water, including E. coli and typhoid.

Some hotels and restaurants may have a water purifier installed, but you should always ask the staff if it's safe before guzzling down a glass of tap water. The general advice is to stick to bottled or canned mineral water instead.

The general advice is to stick to bottled or canned mineral water instead. However, single-use plastic bottles contribute to a massive environmental problem, so we recommend bringing a reusable water bottle with purification technology, and/or some water purification tablets with you.

Tap water: Do not drink the tap water in countries where the tap water might be contaminated. Avoid swallowing water when showering. Brush your teeth with bottled or disinfected water.

I can tell you with full assurance as one who has traveled to India and look forward to my return, there is absolutely no reason why you can't bathe, wash your face or hair with tap water while in India.

Can I brush my teeth in Indian tap water? For public water in modern neighbourhoods in urban areas the risk is really minimal in using the water for brushing the teeth. You're a lot more likely to get sick from using public bathrooms, eating food in restaurants or drinking bottled water by local brands.

Although it's the largest airport in Asia, the Delhi airport is well organized and clean. One thing I forgot to mention, the water in the water fountains is filtered. It's supposed to be safe for drinking but I suggest drinking bottled water only, just in case.

Most Indians don't get safe drinking tap water from their municipalities. Many use filtration mechanism. Around 37.7 million Indians are affected by water-borne diseases annually.

Yes. The Fill&Filter portfolio which is sold in India is sold in Germany and 68 other countries across the world. Where are the products that BRITA sells in India manufactured?

All of Asia has just seven countries with clean tap water: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. Australia and New Zealand round out the club. That leaves out all of Africa, most of Latin America, and the world's two most populous countries, India and China.

Where in Asia can you drink tap water? ›

In Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, almost all the population had access to safely managed drinking water in 2022.

Airports are equipped with water fountains or water dispensers that provide safe and potable water for passengers. These facilities are usually located in different areas of the airport, such as near restrooms, waiting areas, or in the departure lounges.

The hotels always leave a couple of free bottles of water in the rooms and ice is made from purified water so it won't be a problem, we always try to keep our mouthes shut when showering but other things can cause illness like coming into an icy air conditioned room when you are hot and sweating.

It would be a shame to be in India and not drink the tea... The water for the tea is boiled and hence generally free from impurities. I don't think you will have a problem as long as you stick to restaurants with basic hygiene standards. So many foreigners drink tea/coffee in India, many of them from roadside stalls.

These are aggravated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic where washing hands with water is among some of the hygiene recommendations to avoid the spread of the disease. Nearly 820 million people in India face high-to-extreme water stress and 70% of surface water resources in the country is contaminated.

All the hotels you mentioned in your post are nice/best hotels and have their own filtration system...still suggested to drink bottled water in India and use the same for brushing teeth as well.

“Hotel water is often as safe as the public water supply where the hotel is located,” Bartell told Verywell in an email. “But some remote hotels have their own private water supplies, which are less regulated.” In some older hotels, tap water might be contaminated by lead pipes, Bartell added.

5* hotels in India are very careful about food handling. I've been to India a few times, staying in a combination of 4 and 5 star hotels, homestays and safari lodges and have not got ill yet, and I don't have a particularly strong stomach.

Yes they are for the guests' consumption. It is perfectly free and they are automatically restocked at every room cleaning.