Singapore Expats

Hi Guys
quick question: can we drink tap water here?
TA muchly

Yes. Water here is much higher quality than WHO standards and tastes better than most US major cities I've lived in and visited before coming here. I've been drinking the tap water here for the 25 years I've been here. I have to laugh at all the eejits who continually buy bottled water or boil / filter their water.

Just my observation and taste -

I used to live in the north, all my life until I recently move to the east about 2 years ago.

I used to drink tap water all the time when I was staying in the north. Now living in the east, the tap water tastes different and I don't like it. My family agrees that it tastes different as well. But I'm sure water in Singapore is very safe to drink.

I'm sure we've had this chat before, sms. I'm an eejit that buys bottled water - mainly because my tapwater smells like crap. Literally.

When we lived on the red dot, we always had a water filter. Just a suggestion. I always thought that it tasted better than the water from the drinking fountain at school in the CBD.

Okay. But I've not found any water on the island that tastes that bad to me. But, as you and astrogirl both live in the east where as I live/lived in the north and work in the west I've not drank much eastern Singapore water.

Maybe too much Jack (black & daniels) in my water in my younger days has killed my taste buds?

It could be the pipes in the property that make it so.

Most of my relatives live in the East, three families in different homes. Drinking water at their houses, the tap water taste awful and the boiled tap water taste just as bad and come to think of it, it does have a funny smell as well, just like my home in the East. This is compared to the water I drank when I lived in the North.

Now living in the East, I drink distilled bottled water. I also do not like mineral water, I've tasted most brands of mineral water, and they are all quite similar with varying degrees of slimy and saltish taste, especially Evian taste the strongest! I'm not promoting any water here, just sharing my personal taste and experience.

seasider wrote:It could be the pipes in the property that make it so.

That is quite possible, I remember when new plumbing was installed in my flat, the water tasted horrible for quite a while.

Given that your body requires so much water I see health benefits of using filtered water. Having used a water filter both here and at home I see the dirrect advantages for my family. I definitely notice the difference when we are consuming unfiltered water both in taste and healthwise and that also includes some bottled water (drinking water) as many of these are just taken from the tap.

As water is used to purify and cleanse the body, the manmade additives used to preserve water sources can sometimes affect your system. If it tastes or smells of chemicals you need to question whether you want to put that in your system.

This is my opinion only based on previous experience.

silverfern wrote:Given that your body requires so much water I see health benefits of using filtered water. Having used a water filter both here and at home I see the dirrect advantages for my family. I definitely notice the difference when we are consuming unfiltered water both in taste and healthwise and that also includes some bottled water (drinking water) as many of these are just taken from the tap.

As water is used to purify and cleanse the body, the manmade additives used to preserve water sources can sometimes affect your system. If it tastes or smells of chemicals you need to question whether you want to put that in your system.

This is my opinion only based on previous experience.

Thumbs up!! I totally agree !! Drinking direct from the tap, no matter where you are, you may not feel anything now. But you will later.

imie wrote:

silverfern wrote:Given that your body requires so much water I see health benefits of using filtered water. Having used a water filter both here and at home I see the dirrect advantages for my family. I definitely notice the difference when we are consuming unfiltered water both in taste and healthwise and that also includes some bottled water (drinking water) as many of these are just taken from the tap.

As water is used to purify and cleanse the body, the manmade additives used to preserve water sources can sometimes affect your system. If it tastes or smells of chemicals you need to question whether you want to put that in your system.

This is my opinion only based on previous experience.

Thumbs up!! I totally agree !! Drinking direct from the tap, no matter where you are, you may not feel anything now. But you will later.

Have either of you bothered to read the labels of the foods you eat? You want to talk about chemicals.

our tap water are safe to drink..

Well, IMHO, Singapore's water is very clean and safe for consumption straight from the tap. As to whether the water should pass through a filter, will be up to the individual. Boiling water for consumption, if you're not allergic, is probably a waste of electricity.

I do know however, that a fren's sister who was staying in Shanghai a few years ago found that her kidney/liver (I forgot which organ it was) had very small stones and the doctors said it could have been due to drinking the water straight from the taps in China. True or false, I don't know, but when I visited her in China, she had installed a filter and also use filtered water for cooking.

Does anyone feel that the water supply in Singapore is different from overseas when you're shampooing? I think I feel a difference when I shampoo, & the amount of lather is different, but am not sure whether I'm just being too sensitive.

I notice differences all over the world, whim. Depends how 'hard' or 'soft' the water is. In Singapore, I find normal shampoo lathers well - I say normal 'cos I try to use SLS-free shampoo and it doesn't lather much anyway.

I agree with you all that the water in Singapore is SAFE to drink, but the water in my falling-down old house is smelly and so I choose to buy mineral water. It's virtually all I drink (well apart from gin ) so I don't resent the cost.

I have some health/immune problems and read a lot of related stuff; if it were my own house I would install the best filter system I could and drink the tap water as I do actually believe that bottled water is not the best for you, especially as I buy the refilled 19l cooler bottles which must deteriorate over time.

Water in China? Well reading what we do about safety standards and pollution, I wouldn't even wash my pots with it!