Is tanker water safe to drink?

The short answer

Don’t assume it is. Tanker water can come from a treatment plant or from a borewell, and you often can’t tell which by looking. Treat it as unsafe to drink until you’ve filtered or boiled it. Water from your water board’s own tanker comes from a known source, which is one reason to try that first.

What the standard says

India’s drinking water standard is IS 10500:2012. It’s written for drinking water in general, and we found no separate rule for tankers.

For total dissolved solids (TDS), the acceptable limit is 500 mg per litre. Up to 2,000 is allowed only where there’s no other source. If water has been chlorinated, it should hold 0.2 to 1 mg per litre of free chlorine.

What you can check

1. Ask where the water was filled.
2. Look at the tanker: is it clean, and is the hatch closed?
3. Look at, and smell, a sample in a clean glass. Colour, smell or cloudiness are warning signs. Clear water can still be unsafe.
4. Use a cheap TDS meter if you have one. It shows dissolved salts, not germs.
5. For a real answer, have a sample tested at a lab.

Make it safer

Boiling kills germs, but it doesn’t remove salts or chemicals. A good filter can help, so check what it’s rated for. Keep your tank clean and covered, and keep drinking water separately.