OUR tap water has a bad taste and odour, according to a study by Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Filtering and boiling tap water before consumption is the best way to ensure the water is safe for drinking.
Filtering removes sediments while boiling kills the microorganisms in the water.
Rust is one of the primary sources of sediments in plumbing.
If sediment in plumbing is a persistent problem, the best course of action is to ask a plumber to flush out the entire system.
The Malaysian Water Forum (FAM) supports Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye’s recommendation that tap water should be boiled before consuming it.
According to the United Nations, 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water.
Selangor and Johor, for example, charge only RM0.57 and RM0.80 per cubic metre of water respectively.
Most respondents (78%) agreed that rivers are the most important water sources; 95% agreed that sources of clean water are decreasing; 76% said that the water supplied to their home is not safe for drinking; and 59% believe that their tap water contains chemicals that are dangerous to their health.
Compared to our neighbouring countries Singapore and Thailand, where the daily water consumption is 154 litres and 90 litres respectively, Malaysian water consumption is still far beyond the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) which is 165 litres per day.