kb9522

Why is India a 2?

What does OP do when he travels there... Fill a bucket with Bisleri and pour it over?

Besides, half the bottled water is probably fake anyway.

This list is... odd.

KLouis

His computer key for "1" was broken!

arlflyer

Swiss fountain water is probably my favorite water in the world. There's nothing like it!

More directly related to the topic at hand, I don't know what it is but there is something about me and islands. I know beforehand that the water treatment facilities aren't up to the level of the big cities and so I take extra precautions, but still I always manage to get into something anyhow. Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe, no matter, as soon as I step off the mainland I almost always am struck down eventually!

henrus

I live in Australia and whilst I agree that there the tap water is safe to drink I do think it's a bit crazy lumping the whole country into one category.

There are some places in Australia/New Zealand where the tap water isn't drinkable and even areas where it can't even be used to shower (to harsh on skin).

That being said I agree with others that Seoul and Hong Kong both have perfectly fine drinkable water and most of the hotels that I've stayed in across both cities have stated that it's okay to drink the water.

mikeschemm

I mostly live in Indonesia. The CIA (wonderful website for information on all countries) says something like 97% of the water in Indonesia is safe. I brush my teeth with tap water, but bottled water is about $1.50 for 5 gallons, so like everyone else I drink bottled water. Why not? It is almost free. My advice with ice cubes? Always add alcohol .... I use minimal common sense care, and have never had a problem with water anywhere in the world.

tentseller

That, my friend, is the most common sense of all.

RaoulM

When I was visiting my partner's family in Seoul a couple of years ago I was told very explicitly NOT to drink or brush my teeth with the tap water - so I'd be interested in why you disagree.

Fabo.sk

I agree with some of the other FTers that putting the divide on national level makes little sense.

I can safely say that Slovakia is on 5 on the scale, except for some of the small villages without municipal water, where the situation varies between 3 and 5 based on house-by-house well quality, mostly hovering around 4. Same goes for Hungary etc.

Romania I would definitely bump up to 4, probably 5, for those places with municipal water. Many of the systems are new, and water sources are generally high quality in the Carpathians.

mikeschemm

In many countries that are third world, or that used to be third world, the water was not safe in the past. So now it has become almost cultural to feel that tap water can not be safe, even though it often is. I feel that is the case in Indonesia. Plus, bulk bottled water (and even smaller bottles) is often very cheap.

Reindeerflame

I would say South Africa is a likely candidate for 5, based on what a respected guide told our group. His view was that tap water was safe anywhere in the country.

goldencondor

Baffled that anyone would think UK water is unsafe to drink. I have lived in NW England all my life and been drinking tap water from the start.

corbomite

It's a leftover from the past when there were a number of nasty water contamination incidents down in Daegu with the most recent one being only a few years ago. Seoul hasn't had any similar incidents for the last 20 years or so.

JapanFlyerT

My son is doing a year abroad (in Marion, OH) and needs to buy bottled water due to the local water being brown.

Looking at this map really makes me wonder about American water:

Current Drinking Water Advisories for Ohio

As a country, my guess is Japan near the very top. Plenty of rain and excellent infrastructure.

peteglobus

Finland has one of the best natural water supplies in the world so I would rank it among the purest tap waters in the world. It's better than any bottled water.

EqualOpp

A Traveller?s Guide to Tap Water

http://isthewatersafetodrink.com/colombia/

There's that...but it isn't accurate. Paints too broad of a brush. Also.....without first hand (Or multiple 3rd party) may be inaccurate.

Medellin, Colombia - drinkable tap water. Among the best anywhere. I measured it and researched it - lived there 5 years. As far as I know it is the only city in Colombia. Better than many parts of USA as there is no fluoride. It's a source of pride for the city.

Santiago, Chile - the Holiday Inn Express rep told me the water is safe. Reading tripadvisor too. I drank it, tasted fine. The rep said tourists might prefer to drink bottled water (fear). Not sure about other parts of Chile. Although at Unimarc grocery store in Punta Arenas, Chile I noticed all the bottled water has no minerals. Meaning it is ACIDIC. Bad. I did not find a brand that had minerals. Oh yeah...all the locals in Punta Arenas are pretty short (I'm 5'11"). Just an observation. May not be correlated strongly....will have to investigate this relationship.

Uruguay - websites above say not safe. Uh....WRONG! Hotel rep said tap water is good. So I researched it...you know, not being the trusting type when it comes to this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_...ion_in_Uruguay

Puerto Piramides, Argentina - AirBNB host said the small town has a desalinization plant. I didn't drink it as I was only there a night. Not sure about other parts of Argentina.

Also safeness of tap water depends on your view of fluoride and level of chlorine. So "safe" is relative.