Drinking Water Tips
Use these drinking water tips to ensure neither you nor anyone else gets sick from dodgy water.
Tip #1: Use your eyes and nose on Bottled WaterMake sure you carefully inspect your bottled water bottles. If anything seems amiss, don’t drink it. Just get rid of it and buy another bottle somewhere else. I found no troubles when buying from a regular store, even ‘hole in the wall’ kind of small stores, but I did have one bottle that was very suspect when I was last in Lucknow. I was very thirsty and bought from the nearest vendor. Even though I inspected the seal and both the hard plastic seal and the clear plastic overwrap were intact, when I opened the bottle, it smelled a bit funny, definitely more like dodgy tap water than spring water.I found out later that Indian scam artists are as skilled as any other artisans. I was told that there is a way to refill the bottles through a small hole in the bottom, which is then replugged with plastic...which brings me to my the next tip: When you finish with a bottle of bottled water, crush it (I think they even put directions on some of the bottles to ask you to). This is to make sure that the bottle is not easily refilled with tap water and sold on to the next unsuspecting customer! Tip #2: Check for Filtered Water in RestaurantsIf you're in a mid-range type of restaurant, not a 5 star but not a 'hole in the wall' on the street, you may be able to drink the water they offer you. Just ask if they have filtered water. Many places which cater to foreigners have learned that we can't stomach the local tap water and supply filtered water for you free.However, if you suspect that the waiter may not have understood you or is just saying Yes to whatever you ask (yes, this stereotype does have some merit!), then it's probably not worth the risk--buy a bottle.
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