Is tap water safe to drink in Malaysia?

The Answer
Is tap water safe to drink in Malaysia? The answer is simply yes. Malaysian tap water is safe and clean to drink, only when it comes straight out of the water treatment plant.

There are many adequate tests that governmental and private agencies perform (e.g Air Selangor) to ensure that Malaysian water consumption quality is treated properly.In most instances, the water supply has been tested to excel the standards set by international tests such as World Health Organization for safe drinking water.

Sediments will be removed and chlorine is added to kill bacteria. So the population has access to safe water in Malaysia. Even when the water reaches the faucet of a home, from the water treatment plant, it’s still generally safe to drink straight from the tap.

However, many rust and other elements in the older piping systems that transports the water can make the water somewhat undesirable to drink. Especially in a stagnant water storage.

So it depends on the water source from cities to towns. Piping water quality may defer from Kuala Lumpur or Penang for example. State government and city hall is gradually replacing old piping with sturdy ones.

Introduction
For years, across many countries, there has been a debate about whether or not tap water is safe for consumers to drink. Many have worried about drinking harmful bacteria and viruses such as E. Coli, possibly resulting in them catching diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

As a result, many methods have been created for consumers to purify their water. One of the best ways to purify tap water is to use a filtration system that will filter it right out of the sink. The other alternative is to buy bottled water (revere osmosis or mineral water) but plastic can be wasteful and overtime more expensive.

Safety Regulations and Water Treatment
The Ministry of Health (MOH), in Malaysia, sets the standard for drinking water. This set of standards has been adopted from the guidelines created by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Water is treated according to the standards set by the MOH and chlorine is always added in the water to kill bacteria. Although chlorine does kill bacteria, the amounts that are added during water treatment prevent harm to humans. In fact, these chlorine levels are far below the amount that it would take to cause any types of sickness in humans.

Piping
Old water pipe materials that are not anti-rust can gather buildup of various elements over time. Although this process takes many years, it is a process that occurs nonetheless. Aside from water flowing at a velocity that allows for pipes to self-cleanse, there are not many processes that can be completed to prevent buildup within pipes. The water that leaves a faucet may contain a slight taste as a result of the buildup and corrosion within water pipes.

Filtering Water
Filtering water using sediment and carbon block filters can help remove the taste and smell of the water that traveled through old piping

The importance of filtration comes in the fact that it can remove any sediments that may have remained in the water, once it has left the faucet. There are many different types of water filter available, such as sediment filters and carbon block filters. Each filter is able to block out certain elements, debris, or group of elements.

An outdoor filter or Point-of-Entry filter can help remove a bulk of the sediments before going through a water purifier in the home.

For places that only use sediment filtration, water is boiled to remove the chlorine taste and smell

Conclusion
So tap water in Malaysia is generally safe to drink, so long there is a sediment and chlorine filter. Your choice on whether to drink tap directly or not should depend on the current piping system and water tank storage condition. Since water is treated and monitored for consumer safety, you should not have any worries whether or not your water is safe to drink from the faucet. However, the many additional home water dispenser options that you have to purify water make the Malaysian water even more optimal for drinking.

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