Mineral Water vs Tap water

Harsha sent me this. I love the concept of self-sufficient communities. Clean water is our right and should be so. Plastic is a huge waste that takes innumerable years to degenerate and should be treated with diligence.

I am moved!

Well, keeping the Live young spirit on, here is one more commercial for you to smile about. Love this team and their ads. Keep it up guys. Yes, I am moved!

Pure? Think again

TOI reports: Despite loud promises that these gadgets suck out disease-causing bugs from drinking water, most purifiers sold across India do not completely eliminate water-borne viruses like Hepatitis E, says Pune-based National Institute of Virology.

A study by the government-funded body that conducts research on communicable diseases and viruses evaluated eight domestic water purifier brands. It found only two - one equipped with a hollow fibre membrane and the other with a gravity-fed filter - could completely remove the viruses.

The study also found no standards existed for virological evaluation of water purification devices in India and called for well-defined parameters.

The NIV relied on the United States Environment Protection Agency's (USEPA) guide, standard and protocol benchmark for testing microbial purifiers.

The study was conducted by senior deputy director and head of the NIV's hepatitis division, Vidya Arankalle, and scientist Vikram Verma. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), ministry of health and family welfare, government of India, extended financial support to the study conducted by the NIV scientists.

Water business

The fast-growing market for packaged water, which at present stands at Rs 2,400 crore, has tough competition. There are about 2000 brands that operate in the market supplying bottled water! This calculation doesn't take into account numerous unbranded sachets, duplicate brands, etc. that are sold in most areas. Customers are duped most of the time as there is a similar looking product on the shelf that is offered at the original price while the actual brand might be more costlier. Piracy in water! What next?

BTW, I personally prefer quenching my thirst with tender coconut water which is the world's safest natural soft drink. So this summer ensure that you hydrate yourself, keeping your mind, body and soul invigorated.

Mineral water or Plain?

That was what the waiter asked us when I went to dine with a friend at M G Road. Plain came the reply. Were we going to drink normal water unboiled filled with a lot of disease causing germs? Should we have opted for mineral water that is treated and all the germs are killed? Was I supposed to pay 28 rupees for the packaging and the brand or was the money being charged for the purity of the H2O inside? If you think mineral water or branded packaged water is 100% clean, then you are grossly mistaken. May be the water comes from Himalayas or the Ganges! I don't really know. How could I? Should I trust the label?

Labels can be misleading at best, deceptive at worst. In one notorious case, water coming from a well located near a hazardous waste site was sold to many bottlers. At least one of these companies labeled its product "spring water." In another case, H2O sold as "pure glacier water" came from a public water system in Alaska.  More than 25 percent of it comes from the local municipal supply. The water is treated, purified and sold to us, often at a thousandfold increase in price. Most people are surprised to learn that they're drinking glorified tap water, but bottlers aren't required to list the source on the label. 

The controversy isn't simply about tap vs. bottled water; most people drink both, knowing the importance of plenty of water. What they may not know is that some bottled water may not be as pure as they expect. In 1999 the NRDC tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of water. (This is the most recent major report on bottled water safety.) While noting that most bottled water is safe, the organization found that at least one sample of a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, in levels exceeding state or industry standards. Since the report, no major regulatory changes have been made and bottlers haven't drastically altered their procedures, so the risk is likely still there.

So the risk can be around 60% less when compared to consuming clean plain water. So you decide. Plain water or Bottle?