That thing we can't live without...

Now... I've been thinking in the last few months. We've spent so much on drinking water, drinking bottled water to be exact. In a week, it cost us $13.00. Yes, we drink a lot of water. My baby consumes almost 600ml a day, my other daughters are the same. I consume more. Hubby too. Well, put together everybody in the house consumes a lot. It's far expensive compared to the estimated 50 cubic metre monthly usage at $5.50 (based on our water bill) for sanitation. That is $624 a year minimum of bottled water compared to $66 of tap water.

I spoke to hubby, we've to cut down on this. Not just it's uneconomical, but:
1. No evidence it's healthier than tap water. We're drinking reverse osmosis water with no nutritional value in any sense.
2. It's contained in plastic bottles. That's unfriendly to the environment. The bottles are non-biodegradable. Re-cycling can be costly. Re-using can be toxic for kids. It'd be better to avoid consuming them.
3. It's delivered to supermarkets or mini-marts via dieselled-run lorries/vehicles. Every green endeavors of ours seems futile. Worst if they're produced overseas, shipped or flown aggravates the eco-system.

But, my effort to cut down is not really working. All because we're unsure if it's really the right move. At times we get "muddy water," especially after heavy downpours. At other times we get "milky water." But yes, most times our tap water looks alright. We do have cheap filtration in the kitchen, but we're not that interested to buy those expensive system, we've been highly recommended. We hate sale-pitches, they don't work for us.

I've tried checking on-line if our water is REALLY safe for consumption. I'm concerned for my baby and my young kids. At safewateronline, they rated our water at 4 droplets (highest rating is 5 droplets, Singapore is rated at that level), meaning " Main cities have generally safe water supplies, which are monitored and regularly tested by an independent board, but level of service of rural and small towns systems could be substandard. Prevalence of waterborne diseases is low." But they did indicate "The Water Services Department carries out daily monitoring of water quality produced at the treatment works as well as conducts routine monitoring of water quality at its storage reservoirs and at strategic locations of the distribution system. Both chemical tests and bacteriological tests are conducted to ensure the water supply is within permissible levels. In addition, separate tests are carried out by the Health Department." Sounds assuring, but the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests travelers to bring iodine tablets or portable water purifier to Brunei.

Nothing mentioned in the Ministry of Development's website. We hear them saying it's okay. But can they print that in black and white. I'm still alive. Having drank tap water during my childhood. We didn't even boil the tap water then. But to compare our childhood with our kids' these days is a bit short. We live at a time where the environment (the rivers and lakes) were much much cleaner. Now we got all sorts of things dumped into our water sources.

A friend who's an economist advocated bottled waters (he'd be the one trying to be economical), all because he heard our water is not fit for consumption. I don't know where he got that from. He's also mentioned even after boiling, our water isn't totally safe. Since today's kettle automatically stops as it reaches boiling point. So yes, I'm concern. And, I'm unsure of my next move. To be economical, to be healthy, to be eco-friendly, or to be extremely cautious and safe. Questions I need to answer, and need deep thinking. Or maybe we've fallen into marketers traps. Along with bottle water manufacturers, they are just good at creating wants, which didn't exist.

So, on World Water Day - today, I'm requesting for confirmation by the Department of Water Services in the Public Works Department under the Min. of Development if our water is fit for consumption - especially for babies and young kids. The confirmation will SAVE us a lot. Save our money and our environment.