In fact, they aren’t talking about the drinking water in Pattaya when they say that nothing compares to the crystal-clear waters of Thailand. As a tourist in Pattaya, I stayed in a hotel bed for three days drinking ice-cold water. I learned a costly lesson after my holiday was ruined.
In Pattaya, tap water is unsafe to drink as it contains bacteria, heavy metals, sewage, and industrial waste. Various illnesses and even death can result from these contaminants. Chlorine can be added to contaminated tap water to purify it if it has been boiled or treated with it.
It is important to stay hydrated, but what if the drink that is supposed to quench your thirst becomes your worst nightmare?
Why is the water in pattaya not drinkable?
In Thailand, the quality of drinking water varies by region. Pattaya is located in the southern region of Thailand, which has some of the poorest water quality, according to an article from The Water Project.
Water quality is poor due to the following reasons:
- The two primary sources of drinking water in pattaya are surface water and groundwater. There is limited control over what the inhabitants do with their agricultural run-offs and sewage; thus, these pollutants often end up in the tap water.
- There are often cracks in the water distribution pipes. In an interview with The pattaya News, scientist Jarurat Chaolert, from the PPWA (Provincial Waterworks Authority), stated that although the water is drinkable when it leaves the station, due to these cracks, there is no control over the pieces of plastic and dirt that can come in contact with the water.
- Domestic wastewater is another reason for pattaya’s poor water quality. With an average of 9 million visitors to pattaya each year, tourists are often to blame for wastewater being discharged into surface water sources.
Lady luck was on my side as my symptoms subsided reasonably quickly. However, I could’ve encountered much worse symptoms and health issues by drinking the untreated ice in pattaya.
What are the health risks of drinking contaminated water?
There are various health risks to drinking contaminated water. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that annually, 485 000 people die from drinking contaminated water. Some of the most common waterborne diseases and their symptoms are the following:
| Disease | Description | Symptoms |
| Typhoid Fever | Disease caused by a bacterial infection with Salmonella | Fever Sore muscles Fatigue Sweating Diarrhea or constipation |
| Cholera | A diarrheal illness caused by bacteria | Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Sore muscles |
| Giardia | An infection in the small intestines caused by a parasite called Giardia | Abdominal pain Cramps and bloating Diarrhea Nausea Weight Loss |
Luckily, there are various options for treating the tap water in pattaya and ensuring that you won’t contract any of these diseases during your next visit.
Can you drink tap water in pattaya if you boil it?
As we’ve already established, the tap water in pattaya is NOT safe for consumption; however, you can make the water safe by boiling it.
Most hotel rooms provide bottled or treated water, but if you stay in a remote backpacker or humble hostel, you will need to make sure that there is always a kettle nearby. There are some great portable kettles on the market. They are lightweight, fast-boiling, can boil up to 4 cups of water at a time, and some even flatten into discs: your perfect travel companion.
Boiling the tap water will kill organisms and bacteria and will make it safe for drinking. Always make sure, though, that the water boils for at least a full minute.
What other options, apart from boiling, will render pattaya’s water safe for drinking?
Apart from boiling pattaya’s water, there are three other options you might consider in rendering the water safe for consumption:
- Water filtering: There are some great water purifiers on the market. A water purifier is a water bottle with an inner vessel, and this vessel is responsible for purifying the water. You fill the bottle with water, let the water run through, and what you are left with after the purifying process is a glass of crystal-clear, safe-to-drink tap water. Unlike water purification tablets, this filtering process doesn’t leave a nasty after taste and is known for filtering out most contaminants, including lead.
- Water purification tablets: These tablets contain chlorine, and they are directly immersed in the water. It takes about 30 minutes for these tables to clean and purify the water, after which the water is safe to consume.
- UV light: Although not the most common method, water can also be purified by using Ultraviolet (UV) light. Various portable, battery-operated devices deliver metered, timed doses of UV light. This UV method, however, can only purify fairly small quantities of water at a time.
pattaya is a traveler’s paradise; from island visits and riding elephants to its pulsing nightlife, you will most likely not spend much time in your hotel room or accommodation. Who wants to wait for a boiling kettle or a dissolving tablet if all you want is to brush your teeth and get some rest before your next big adventure?
Can you brush your teeth and shower with tap water in pattaya?
You can brush your teeth with the tap water as long as you avoid getting the water in your mouth: don’t swallow it!
The safety of brushing your teeth with pattaya’s tap water depends on the quality of the water. However, it is impossible to know whether the water contains parasites and bacteria or whether it simply contains relatively small amounts of heavy metals due to the quality of the pipes. I would say it’s best rather be safe than sorry and brush your teeth with bottled or purified water.
If you find yourself in a situation where there isn’t any drinkable and safe water around, it’s probably not the end of the world to brush your teeth with tap water as long as you don’t swallow too much of it. Ultimately, this is a risk you’ll have to decide on taking.
Showering with tap water is equally acceptable as long as you keep your mouth closed and not swallow large quantities of the water. It’s advisable, though, to not bathe infants or small children in this water as you can’t control the water getting into their eyes, mouths, or noses.
How safe is the ice supplied in restaurants and bars across pattaya?
Ice is relatively safe to consume as most restaurants and bars have water purification systems; they use the purified water from these systems to produce their ice.
Even smaller vendors and stalls get ice delivered to them daily. This ice gets delivered by trucks from local ice manufacturers distributed throughout the region. One such distributor is Krabi Tubing Ice Limited, part of the Water & Ice Manufacturing Industry. Ice gets delivered in sealed bags, and on our most recent visit to pattaya, we would often ask staff members where their ice came from, and they have always been more than happy to show us their purification systems and sealed bags of ice.
Is bottled water readily available in pattaya?
Most of the hotels and resorts in pattaya supply bottled water on a daily basis. If this is not enough, there is a supermarket, minimart, or 7/11 around every corner. You probably won’t pay more than 12 Baht for a small bottle of purified/filtered water.
Conclusion
In short, if you want to ensure that you don’t spend your hard-earned vacation money on medicine and doctor’s fees, rather stay clear of the tap water in pattaya. Leave those last few useless vacation souvenirs; instead, buy bottled water.