Water Treatment

[bwak]

Hello
I have heard that boiled water is avaliable everywhere in lodges on the major routes-EBC ect...Is this true, and is it safe?
Also what is the best chemical water treatment to take ?I live in Australia and dont know what is the best choice avaliable here.

Thanks

[Sharon]

Yes water is available. I take pristine for water treatment. You can buy it online at mec.ca

[Lars]

I have heard that boiled water is avaliable everywhere in lodges on the major routes-EBC ect...Is this true, and is it safe?

Unfortunately in many places when tourists request boiled water the
locals will provide it by burning firewood, chopping down trees. There
have been many cases of landslides over the years that happens
because the tree roots that have held the soil in place has died and
rotted away. Houses and villages have been buried in mud. People killed.

I think a responsible visitor to the Himalayas should be prepared to
accept the slight foul taste of purification tablets/iodine etc, or maybe
check if there is a lodge around that uses kerosene or solar devices to
heat their water.

I see you are from Australia. Last time on EBC I trekked for some weeks
with two Aussie girls who had with them some vitamin C powder
specifically to give a fresh flavor to water that had been treated with
chlorine tablets. I had iodine tablets and we swapped some for a change.
I don't think I have seen such powder elsewhere and they mentioned
that it had taken some persistence to find it in Oz as well.

[rich.]

note that vitamin C neutralises the iodine. give the iodine half an hour before you add any flavouring.

r.

[yakshaver]

You can buy Caughlan ioding pills (brown in colour) in little brown bottles from the more serious outdoors shops in Australia, and they usually come together with the "neutralizer", which indeed as rich says is just effervescent vitamin C. The "neutralizer" makes the taste a bit more bearable, and clears the water, bringing it back to close to it's natural clearness. It is important to follow the instructions.
However the more I trek in Nepal the less I use water pills etc. I drink lots of tea, hot limonade etc at the lodges. So the water is only used in the 2-3 hours interval between one lodge and another, and perhas during the night if I feel thursty.
In KTD for me is't plastic bottled water from the shop, I'm afraid... Not good for the environment, I realise, but I just don't feel like drinking iodine water once I am off trek.

[Sharon]

check out pristine, no taste other than water from a mountain stream. www.pristine.ca

[yakshaver]

Pristine looks good Sharon. I think's it's available in Sydney too... The only problem for me is carrying and taking care of another piece of equipment. Still, the safety and environmental benefits might sway me towards it.

[James]

In the evening on the EBC route the lodges will often heat the water on the stove in the dinning room that is heated by dried yak dung. As such there the boiled water is a byproduct of operating the stove for the tourist. If the water has boiled it will be safe, but when in doubt add your iodine. The taste of iodine is no big deal, but having a hot, and I mean a real hot water bottle, to take to your sleeping bag is priceless. Not to mention you support the local economy without an adverse environmental impact. The real crime on the EBC route is using bottled water - as discarded bottles pollute.

[Hendrik]

It's funny. I did use iodine one time and the water didn´t taste bad at all.

Or maybe I was to thirsty...

[]'s

Hendrik

[Sharon]

Pristine is tiny, 2 small bottles. Barely different from a bunch of iodine pills. Mix the drops from each bottle in the lidon the one bottle and in a few minutes put it in your water. Smaller than the pack of thraot lozenges I carry while trekking.

[Tracey]

Can you just use Aqua Mira?

[Sharon]

Yes. I believe Aqua Mira is the same as www.pristine.ca
I have used pristine on 4 treks and many hikes.

[doctbg]

Yes, u can get boiled water in most of the places,the only thing is whether they boil it for the adequate amount of time.
Sometimes they just heat the water for some time just before serving u.So,beware.
U can take chlorine tablets with u.It is v.cheap and is available in Kathmandu medical shops over-the-counter.

[Unregistered]

bring Imodium

[yakshaver]

I mean, you won't die of having a dose of the runs... Plus, you do get some immunisation if you don't cotton-wool yourself too much. This is useful if you stay in Nepal beyond 2-3 weeks.
In the Annapurna Conservation area, boiled water sold by the lodges, along with the soft canned drinks, tea, hot lemonade and beer - these is the way to go. I don't take any pills or purifiers for Annapurna.
For Everest-gokyo, on my last trip, I have only used the pills on a couple of occasions. Again, because the lodges offer so many alternatives in terms of hidration.

[snaark]

I'd personally recommend Katadyn chlorine tabs, which you can get at Mountain Designs, Paddy Pallin etc. They are completely tasteless... well, I couldn't taste them anyway. Don't buy boiled water - it's expensive and as someone already pointed out not very responsible. Tap water + chlorine tabs is just fine. Oh, and I'd recommend using them in KTM aswell... there are rumours that the bottled water is dodgy. Do everything in your power to avoid getting sick... although that might not be possible in KTM. As someone wrote on the wall of the lodge at Gorak Shep "If you ever feel like the arse is falling out of your world, come to Nepal and let the world fall out of your arse". Just be sure to stock up on Cipro.

Have fun :)