Bottled water is everywhere, in offices, airplanes, supermarkets, homes and restaurants across the country. It’s refreshing, calorie-free, convenient to carry around, tastier than some tap water and a lot healthier than sugary sodas.
“But no one should think that bottled water is better regulated, better protected or safer than tap,” says Eric Goldstein, an environmentalist.
Yes, some bottled water comes from sparkling springs and other pristine sources. But more than 25 percent of it comes from the same supply of our tap water. The water is treated, purified and sold to us, often at an increased price.
Most people are surprised to learn that they’re drinking glorified tap water, but bottlers aren’t required to list the source on the label.
So, should one stick to tap water then??
Tap water has its own issues as well. It has contaminants sometimes … actually most times. But, according to research, if you are an adult with no special health conditions, and you are not pregnant, then you can drink most cities’ tap water without having to worry.”
This is because most of the contaminants in public water supplies exist at such small concentrations that most people would have to ingest very large quantities for health problems to occur.
However, that would apply in countries such as Italy, Austria, France, Luxemburg, Norway and Switzerland since they are ranked as the countries with the healthiest tap water worldwide; Switzerland being the best of the best.
Therefore in our Uganda where water pipes are cut all the time by either road constructors or ‘Umeme men’; and all sorts of dirt penetrate or where the pipes are too old and rusty; one should first reconsider before taking that water.
How can we make our tap water very safe for everyone to drink?
Using a filtration device for your tap water can help if you don’t like the taste of it, as this removes certain contaminants, such as pesticide and chlorine residues. However, there are some chemicals that a filter cannot remove, such as nitrates and most home filtering systems are not designed to filter out bacteria or viruses.
Back to the question at hand: Is Tap Water Safe For Drinking?
In my opinion: Yes, if its treated or filtered. Good enough you can filter the water yourself.
But in cases where one is not sure if the water is treated or filtered, it may not be ‘that safe’ to drink.
What is your view?
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