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Tap Water Safety in the Dominican Republic

Do not Drink :(

LAST UPDATED: April 8, 2021 12:53 pm
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Table of Contents

How do People In Dominican Republic Rate The Tap Water?

Travellers and residents of Dominican Republic have rated the water quality and pollution as follows, according to subjective survey data. A score of 100% is considered very high, and a score of 0% is very low. Please be cautious that "moderate to very high" water pollution is bad and the higher the rate of water quality the better.

Can you drink the tap water in Dominican Republic?

The US Center for Disease Control's travel advisory recommends avoiding tap water and drinking bottled or disinfected water in Dominican Republic (source). Like all countries though, water accessibility, sanitation, and treatment vary widely from location to location, so we encourage looking for specific city information.

What do people in Dominican Republic think about the tap water?

Only purified water should be used for drinking, brushing your teeth as well as hand washing.

Wikitravel

Do not drink tap water! Locals, even in the most rural areas, will either boil their water or purchase bottled water. Eating salads or other food that may be washed in tap water is not advisable. Ice is a bad idea as well, except when in luxury hotels and restaurants (which produce ice from bottled water). If you plan on cooking or washing dishes for longer stays, it is a good idea to rinse everything with bottled or boiled water before use. In every community, there will be one or more colmados (the same thing as what people in Puerto Rico call bodegas) where you can buy small amounts of everything. Water is sold in bottles at 15 pesos and up; it is also sold in plastic bags (fundas) at 2 for 5 pesos, but the best way (by ecological and economic means) to buy drinkable water in the Dominican Republic is to buy a botellón which is a big, refillable bottle of water. It costs 50 pesos for a refill of 17 litres (5 gallons), and the canister (botellón) itself costs around 200 pesos. If you stay somewhere for a few days, you may ask about buying it just for a few days, and you will probably get a full refund when you return it.
Avoid drinking local tap water and only drink bottled water or other beverages. It is important for visitors to stay hydrated in the hot, humid climate.

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 61% High
  • Water Pollution 71% High
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 39% Low
  • Water Quality 29% Low

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in , measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

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