Know Your Water: Bottled Water in India

To start testing your water, order a TestDrop Pro today.

March 25, 2018

Do you know what is in the water your children are drinking? Young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead that can be found in contaminated water. They can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects, particularly affecting the development of the brain and nervous system. An easy way to prevent this is by checking your water to make sure it is free of contaminants before giving to your children!

When it comes to water, India faces some of the biggest challenges in the world. As a result, India is one of the most important markets for Lishtot. The problem begins with the tap water which is typically high-ly contaminated. Though most authentic bottled water in India is considered safe to drink, even bottled water must be tested before purchase because the market for fake bottled water is huge; about 30% of all bottled water in India is fake.

This fake bottled water is due to the large water ‘recycling industry,’ in which individuals refill used water bottles with tap water to be resold as bottled water. Because the bottles are labelled with authentic brand names, many consumers do not realize they are buying contaminated tap water. There are many ways the recyclers conceal their activities. While some buy new caps and reseal the bottles or glue the cap back on to the ring, others don’t even bother and hope the customer won’t notice the bottle is not sealed (if the seller opens the bottle for you, do not drink from the bottle).

In most cases, the water is contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria but heavy metals and other con-taminants are sometimes found as well. Contaminated water takes a huge toll on the Indian healthcare system as a large percentage of the patients in Indian hospitals are sick with water borne diseases.

Visitors to India are thus in a difficult position; not only is the tap water dangerous but the prevalence of fake bottled water makes reliance on bottled water risky as well. To help mitigate the risk, visitors can check both that the water in the bottle is clear and that the cap is new and sealed. However, neither of these steps is sufficient.

Lishtot’s personal water tester, the TestDrop Pro, is the best way to know if a bottle of water is safe to drink or not. Simply test the water above the water line and see if it gives you a blue or red result. Lishtot’s founder and CEO, Netanel Raisch, has travelled to India numerous times and was able to successfully test his own bottled water. As shown in the video, he tested the bottled water served at a top Indian university and found that one of the bottles was actually fake and contaminated. Fake bottled water is everywhere in India, protect yourself by testing all bottles with the TestDrop Pro. For more information or to place an order, click here.