Tap water or bottled water?

Water is essential for our body metabolism. We use water for drinking, washing, cleaning, and almost everyday life aspects can be associated with water. Good quality of water will enhance the excellent of health. It should be fresh and contained with dissolved minerals and nutrients and oxygen.

I came across this video about the story of bottled water few days ago. (Click here for the video). The video animation is about the industry of bottled water—how they created the market and manipulated and influenced the people in U.S. It made me wonder whether should we go for bottled water or tap water.

Bottled water exists due to its convenience. We can get a bottle easily when we feel thirst. Most of the shops even hotels around us sell bottled water. However, bottled waters are selling at higher price. No doubt that some bottled water sourced their water from pure natural spring, there are some bottled water source it from tap water. Besides that, it has a larger carbon footprint compared to tap water. From the life cycles: - harvesting of water, plastic manufacturing, product manufacturing, shipping and transferring, to refrigerate water, all need energy and emit pollutants to the environment. Moreover, only 20% of used bottle were recycled and the balance are dumped to the landfill. There is also leaching of toxic chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) from bottled water when use at higher temperature.

With all the negative aspects of bottled water, do we really need it in our market? We can opt for tap water. It is also convenient and cheaper than bottled water. However, a point to ponder with-tap water in urban area i.e. Selangor and Kuala Lumpur may not seem good to be drink. Tap water that drains like teh tarik, kills the mood for drinking it from tap. Solutions such as water filter don’t really solve it and in reverse create more solid waste.

It seems that both bottled water and tap water has it weak spot. I think we can actually do something with our water source - education for our citizen to throw their waste in proper area; house compound cleaning; have proper septic tank; strictly enforcement on polluters; recycle mentality; and etc. By making the surface water especially the river cleaner, we can have less demand on bottled water.

Tap water or bottled water??! It is at your own choice to choose which one for better future as the only difference is money in your wallet and the waste bin.


Reference source:
Image: belmontfrontporch.wordpress.com
http://www.alkalifewater.com.my/malaysia-boiled-water-malaysia-bottled-water-dispenser-malaysia-distilled-water/
http://www.tapwater-bottle.com/index.asp