Safe Drinking Water In India: 9 Tips To Avoid Illness From Beverages

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Here’s how to find safe beverages to drink in India:

1. Drink bottled water. The easiest and safest way to avoid contaminated water in India is to drink bottled water. Fortunately, it’s available almost everywhere throughout the country and is usually very cheap.

2. Choose the best brands of bottled water. The top brands I recommend are Bisleri, Kinley, and Aquafina (in that order), and you can get them practically everywhere. These companies are owned by giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, so they are more likely to have higher standards for their purification processes than most local brands.

3. Check the cap on your water bottle. Before you drink, check the seal to make sure it’s actually a new bottle. Occasionally, conniving vendors or shop owners will refill old bottles with tap water and try to glue the lid back on!

4. Use a water filter. The only time I haven’t been able to buy bottled water in India was when I went trekking in the Himalayas. For that trip, I brought a Katadyn Pocket Water Filter and used it to filter water from the rivers. Another more affordable product that works well is the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter, which filters water as you drink.

5. Avoid any drinks with ice. Be wary of any drink that’s made or served with ice, because there’s a good chance the ice is made from tap water (contrary to popular belief, freezing water doesn’t kill parasites like boiling it does, so tap water ice cubes are unsafe).

6. Drink straight from a coconut. Fresh coconuts are amazing in tropical climates. Not only are they delicious, they provide electrolytes and are good for keeping you hydrated. If you want to be super careful, don’t drink from coconuts unless you’re satisfied with the cleanliness of both the straw and the knife used to cut it open. You can even bring your own straws to be safe.

7. Enjoy the chai. Tea drinking is one of India’s favorite pastimes, and I don’t think it’s possible to visit this country without enjoying the fresh, sweet chai. Indian chai has a lot of milk and sugar in it, along with spices like cardamom and ginger, and there are chai stands on almost every corner selling it for 5-10 rupees. Since tea is hot, it should be safe to drink as long as you see them boiling it properly and you’re certain the cup is clean. These days, many stands serve chai in disposable plastic cups, which is good for hygiene but bad for the disgusting trash piles that build up. Other stands have glass cups, which are always dirty because they’re reused very quickly and not washed properly, so watch out and avoid! One possible solution to counter the trash problem is to bring your own coffee mug that you can clean properly yourself.

8. Buy bottled drinks. Bottled juices and sodas are available everywhere in India, and they should always safe to drink. You’ll see plenty of familiar options like Coca-Cola and Pepsi products. There’s a popular belief that Coke helps kill bacteria in your system… this may or may not be true, but it sure can be nice to have a cold Coke on a hot afternoon in India.

9. Brush your teeth with treated water. Many people brush their teeth with tap water in India and have no problem, but it still poses a risk. To be on the safe side, use bottled or filtered water instead.