Household water in Bali

[Andynice]

Hi all
I have a few questions about the household water in Bali
What water supply do you use ground water or water from PDAM ?
Is the quality of the water good ?
Do you use some kind of water treatment system ?
If yes are you satisfied with the water after treatment ?
Last maybe a silly question when you brush your teethes do you use water from the tap or bottled water ?
I have the feeling the water isn't good in my neighbourhood and i don't want my two daughters to get sick or anybody else.
Thanks in advance for reply
Best regards
Andy

[lumumba]

We are using PDAM, it is clean and had no problems up to now (1 year)
No treatment
You can brush your teethes. NO drinking
We use bottled water for cooking but many people use also tap water for cooking, we will not.

[mimpimanis]

In Bali we use PDAM like Lumumba we use it to brush our teeth and use bottle water for cooking.

In Lombok we have a combination, well water after the rainy season, around October/November the well goes dry and we use PDAM but in Lombok in the dry season they only turn the water on every few days for a few hours so you have to fill up everything while you can. If we run short we have to buy a tanker of water which is collected from nearby rivers and when things are really bad we fill one of the tanks with buckets of water from a nearby stream. Water or lack of it is a big problem in South Lombok. But the same there we brush our teeth in it but drink and cook with bottled water.

[ronb]

We use PDAM. The water is clean but sometimes has a strong chlorine taste that is obvious in a cup of tea. So we use bottled water for tea/coffee, but tap water for cooking veges. Yes I have always used tap water for brushing teeth. Mostly you spit it out so the amount you swallow is probably less than 10 ml. If the water had contaminants that may give you gastro after drinking half a litre or so - drinking 10 ml should be OK. The same argument goes for rinsing veges.

[Andynice]

Thanks for the reply Lumumba, Mimpimanis and Ronb
In our house we only have groundwater, after we take showers and when the water dries it's always a with layer on the bathrooms tiles and sometimes a funny taste when brushing teethes.
Mimpimanis its' have to be very difficult in Lombok during the dry season
Andy

[wepro]

Hi Andynice
we have groundwater (luckily). Cause as I can see at other neighbours around the supply of PDAM is very poor (=zero) especially during peak hours, i.e. in the morning and in the evening.

We use our tapewater just for shower and for cleaning teeth etc but never for cooking or prepairing tea or coffee - and no problems up to now. Nobody got sick the last 5 years.

Yeah and I also give a chloride tablet every 4 or 6 weeks into my water tank as a treatment against algas.

[ronb]

I can see at other neighbours around the supply of PDAM is very poor (=zero) especially during peak hours, i.e. in the morning and in the evening.

I have experience with PDAM supply at 2 properties in the north. At one, the pressure is good almost all the time - not need for a pump. At the other the pressure is lower and may fade at times of peak demand, so here we have a 600 litre tank being filled from PDAM and the a booster pump to make sure you get a good shower.

[Kura Kura]

Doesn't anyone use UV treatment or even RO? That way you can have totally clean and drinkable water all year round. Apparently.

[matto]

i look after several combination RO/UV water plants where i work in Indonesia. ITs not worth the maintenance and effort you put into them when comparing this with the price of drinking water in Indo. Having said that, ive seen the state of some of the filtered water top up stations around Bali.......its shocking. I personally wouldnt go to any of these little top up stations around the place.I buy bottled water from the larger trusted brands - not back yard top up stations.

I have a bottle set up in the kitchen for drinking water via the chilled aqua dispenser, and another elevated above the sink for washing fruit, rinsing off glasses etc. I use the regular well (tap) water for brushing my teeth.

With the way most household water systems in Bali are built (very little segregation between waste water/sewerage pits and water wells and contaminant leaching)its almost worth having a filtration unit even for your shower water if you use a well. Bali is headed for massive water problems in the next few years.

It really all depends on where you live and how your well is set up in relation to your waste water pits. Im in seminyak where space is scarce,,,and we have a water well and waste water quite close to each other. you can bet your bottom dollar the well is as shallow as economically possible, and that im showering in my own poo. I dont really mind as im not swallowing the stuff when i shower.

[donfuego]

The waste and sewage problem in Bali is really alarming. As more and more "high maintenance" house holds are appearing (mainly in the southern parts) it sure is headed for disaster. Is anyone even *trying* to do something about it? If the government is not doing it, somebody else will have to, but I guess the risk of investment vs profitable outcome in such a large undertaking is not attracting the big wallets out there.