Tap water in India

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for India; no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in India.

Numbeo

43.8/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Moderate”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

Never drink tap water. Bottled water is generally safe – check that the seal is intact at purchase. Avoid ice unless you know it has been made without tap water. Be careful of fresh...

Never drink tap water. Bottled water is generally safe – check that the seal is intact at purchase. Avoid ice unless you know it has been made without tap water. Be careful of fresh juices served at street stalls in particular – they're likely to have been watered down with tap water or may be served in jugs/glasses that have been rinsed in tap water. Avoid fruit that you don't peel yourself, as it will likely have been rinsed in tap water. Alternatively, rinse fruit yourself in mineral water before you eat it. Boiling water is usually the most efficient method of purifying it. The best chemical purifier is iodine. It should not be used by pregnant women or those with thyroid problems. Water filters should also filter out most viruses. Ensure your filter has a chemical barrier such as iodine and a small pore size (less than four microns). In tourist areas, some guesthouses, cafes and restaurants use water filters; use your own judgment as to whether you think this water will be safe to drink.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 270$ a year in India, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in India

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in Asia