Food and Water Safety in India: Tap Water, Ice and Street Food

Treat it as unsafe unless it has been treated. CDC's rule is not to drink tap water in countries where it might be contaminated, and the UK's TravelHealthPro says it is not advisable to drink tap water, or brush your teeth with it, unless it has been treated. The same goes for anything made with it: CDC lists cooking, washing food, preparing drinks, making ice and brushing teeth among the ways contaminated water makes people ill, and it advises against swallowing water in the shower. Canada's travel advice adds swimming pools and hot tubs to that list.

A sealed bottle is the simplest way to be sure what you are drinking, and the one CDC rates highest.

• Factory-sealed bottled water. CDC calls it the safest option for most travellers. Check the seal before you open it: CDC warns that a drop of glue can be used to mimic one, and that vendors in some countries refill bottles with untreated water.
• Boiled water. Boiling is the best way to kill the organisms that cause illness, CDC says. Bring the water to a full rolling boil for one minute, or for three minutes above 6,500 feet, about 2,000 metres, which matters in Ladakh and on Himalayan treks.
• Hot drinks and sealed drinks. Tea or coffee served steaming hot should be safe, and so are carbonated drinks in sealed bottles or cans, CDC says; it warns against adding things that may be contaminated, such as cream or lemon.
• Filtered water, with care. CDC notes that most portable water filters do not remove bacteria or viruses, so a filter bottle on its own is not the same as boiled or sealed water.

Skip the ice unless you know what it was made from: TravelHealthPro advises avoiding it, and CDC says not to use ice where access to clean water is limited. Fresh juice made by others and fountain drinks are also on CDC's list to avoid.

The UK's TravelHealthPro recommends recently prepared, thoroughly cooked food that is served piping hot, fruit you peel yourself, such as bananas and oranges, and pasteurised dairy. It advises avoiding salads; food left uncovered in warm places, as on a buffet; raw or undercooked meat, fish and shellfish; and unpasteurised milk, cheese, ice cream and yoghurt. CDC adds cut-up fruit, condiments and sauces made from raw fruit or vegetables, fresh chutneys among them, and lukewarm food: hot food should be served hot and cold food cold. Canada's travel advice puts it in one line, boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it.

Wash your hands with soap and water before eating, as both CDC and TravelHealthPro advise; TravelHealthPro says alcohol gel helps where there is nowhere to wash. A small bottle of gel earns its place on the packing list.

Here the two health bodies differ. CDC's general advice is to avoid eating food from street vendors. The UK's TravelHealthPro advises avoiding it unless it is thoroughly cooked in front of you and served hot on clean crockery. If you want to try street food, the UK version is the practical test: watch it cooked, eat it hot, and pass on anything that has been sitting out, and on raw chutneys and salads.

A local guide helps too. Our Old Delhi street food walk routes you to stalls chosen for high turnover and visible hygiene, while being plain that no one can honestly guarantee street food. For more on the old city's food lanes, see the Old Delhi travel guide.

CDC calls travellers' diarrhoea the most common travel-related illness, and the UK's TravelHealthPro says it affects more than one in five people who travel to higher-risk parts of the world. CDC's first advice is to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. TravelHealthPro says to get medical advice if symptoms have not improved within three days, and at once if you have a fever of 38°C or more or blood or mucus in your stool. Young children, infants and older travellers should get advice early if they cannot keep fluids down or show signs of dehydration.

Our guide to doctors and hospitals in India explains how to find a doctor. Two vaccines that health bodies advise for most travellers, hepatitis A and typhoid, are covered on our travel vaccinations for India page, and the rest of the health planning is in our guide to health in India for travellers.