Bottled Water Vs Tap Water? Are You Even Thinking?

Water- water everywhere, not a drop to drink.

This verse has become a reality in today’s world. The sources of clean water have become marginal and people are buying more bottled water as they perceive tap water unclean. We usually drink tap water after its filtered otherwise no one wants to drink the tap water directly because they think it’s bad for health.

They prefer bottled water as they have been advertised as pure, pristine form of water that has been collected from the glacier itself but it’s far from the truth.

Most of the companies selling bottled water, use local taps to fill the bottles, as they don’t have to put the sources from where they fill water, no one questions their purity.

Bottled water vs tap water? Are you even thinking? It’s time to learn some facts and then decide which is better for us.

Let’s check out why bottled water is in more demand:

Bottled water is of two types- one that contains purified tap water and the second that has been collected from wells, springs or glacier. The second type is usually harder to find.

The reason people demand more bottled water is:

• People love bottled water, as it is readily available at any market due to its popularity. Also, it is convenient to pull this out of a fridge or carry it classes or gym etc.
• It tastes better than tap water. Tap water is lukewarm and boring while bottled water is cooler to drink. It doesn’t have the odor and smell that tap water has due to chlorine addition to it.
• Some bottled water has added flavorings like berry or citrus which make them more refreshing to drink. It also tastes better than regular water.
• Since the favor and clean bottles, people get more encouraged to drink water and hydrate enough to keep the body full of water.

Is bottled water safe?

Generally speaking, yes it’s safe but due to the processing and packaging it becomes unsafe.

Also, some manufacturers claim that they are from spring or wells but eventually they purify tap water and sell it.

• The process of packaging and handling bottled water may introduce bacteria like E. coli in it which can cause massive indigestion.
• The plastic bottle that stores the water can leak some hazardous chemicals in it if left or stored in very high or cool temperatures.
• Also, using plastic bottles that sit in the car for too long is bad for health as the chemicals are too strong.

The main disadvantage of bottled water is on the environment:

• The used bottles are found in junkyards where they decompose slowly and release harmful toxic chemicals.
• A lot of fossil fuel is wasted in processing, transporting and packaging them.
• Collecting water for bottled water from aquifers drain them, leading to water scarcity in the local region.
• It is highly expensive.
• Many of these bottles end up in the ocean causing carbon pollution in water and air.
• Also, when tap water is purified to fill bottles, it leads to more water wastage.

Why tap water is better?

Tap water comes from river and lakes and is safe thanks to the hard work of Municipal Corporation, who treat water before letting general public consume it.

Sometimes the taste of water is weird and there is an unknown odor in tap water, but it’s just some harmless chlorine, that is added to treat the water to kill any bacteria present in it.

Tap water is better because:

• It is convenient to find, it is available at every faucet anywhere. We don’t have to look around for a departmental store to buy it.
• In public places, this water is free and is very helpful for people who can’t afford water. At homes, the government charges a minimal amount to give us water supply; still, it’s cheaper than bottled water and is also purified.
• There is no packaging, so there are minimum pollution and wastage.
• The unpurified water can be used for many other purposes, like washing clothes or gardening or mopping the house.

How to make tap water safer?

The tap water we get is purified by the municipal treatment plan, but still, some amount of waste enters it through pipes or dirty faucet. The water is drinkable and is usually harmless, but we can’t be too careful.

So here are some methods that can be used to make tap water safer.

Purifiers like Aqua guard and Kent are very popular products in India. Many people have installed them in their home to purify tap water. Wastewater is expelled and only clean water is filled in the tanker of the machine, which is used for drinking.

Water filter pitchers and faucet: they are also filtration system that can easily chuck out chlorine and other dust. They are convenient and cost friendly. It allows water to be stored ready to drink. If you are planning to buy a water filter pitcher, these are some things to consider.

Reverse osmosis and distillation:  this method is used to filter out chemicals or minerals like lead and fluoride. It’s an advanced filtration system that purifies water before it even comes out of the faucet.

Now that you have read all pros and cons, you must decide what is best for your family. In the end, all I can say is that bottled water is harming our environment and the plastic too harms us one way or another. Tap water may not taste better but is certainly a good choice.