The water that comes from your kitchen tap is desalinated water (sea water) which has had the salt removed, been filtered and treated to prevent bacteria growth and then converted into safe drinking water. In general, it’s perfectly safe to drink this water, however before the water makes it to your tap, it’s usually stored in an on-site water tank which needs to be regularly maintained and if not could cause issues.
Lots of people don’t drink tap water, and instead choose to drink purified or mineral water either bought by the bottle or supplied in large water dispensers typically in 5 gallon bottles (19 litres).
Aside from the taste and quality of the water, and the practicalities of having it delivered or carrying it home from the shops, things to consider include the cost and environmental impact of disposing large amounts of water bottles which are generally sent to landfill and not recycled.
When I moved to Dubai I started with a subscription bottle service and was easily getting through 2-3 large water containers a week but more recently have moved to been trying a Zip Water tap which has been installed in my kitchen and replaces my normal tap and my kettle too!
The tap and the under-counter control centre is a clever piece of kit which has really impressed me. Water from the building water tank is processed through a micro filter removing any dirt or contaminants and can be dispensed directly from the tap.
Filtered water can be chilled and/or served carbonated as the unit is also attached to a small C02 bottle. In addition, there is also a hot water facility which dispenses boiling hot water suitable for making tea/coffee at the press of a button.
From a convenience point of view, I no longer have to remember to order water from building security and rely on him delivering when I need it. Nor do I have to plan ahead and/or store large water bottles in my apartment. My chiller unit has been donated to someone who needed it and I no longer boil countless kettles full of water when I fill flasks for my #ChaiPopUp (Tea for the Taxi Guys) nor do I have to wait for water to come to the boil for cooking vegetables in etc.
I find that I’m drinking a lot more water now, particularly sparkling water as it’s readily available and always ‘on tap’ so to speak. On average I think I save a minimum of AED 50/week (3 x 5 gallon bottles and 6 bottles sparkling water) on buying in water, not to mention the reduction in water bottles going to landfill.
If you want to reduce your reliance on bottled water other options include Counter Top Filter Jugs, or Water Filters which are generally attached to your water feed under the sink and can filter through carbon filters, ion exchange units, reverse osmosis or distillation.
[Disclaimer : We were gifted the Zip Hydrotap by Zip Water. More details on www.zipwater.com. All images in this article are from Pixabay.com and do not require any attribution and are free for commercial use.]