FEB 22, 2003
Meanwhile... sales of filters, bottled water up

ALTHOUGH an overwhelming 98 per cent of people surveyed had no problem drinking Newater, companies selling filters, bottled water and other alternatives are not only surviving, but some are even thriving.

They offer a range of options from simple filters, which cost a few dollars and can be attached to the tap, to high-tech devices that cost about $1,500 and require a plumber to install.

Most of these alternatives have carbon filters and promise to remove anything affecting taste and smell, including cancer-causing agents.

Some also claim to be able to get rid of lead, arsenic, mercury and other metals.

Then there are those that say forget about the tap, just drink their specially-treated bottled water or, better still, create your own water from air. And they are finding buyers.

Mr Philip Wong, a 48-year-old sole proprietor of a jewellery store, and his family of five drink only water that has been poured out of two water filtration pitchers.

Marketed by Allergy Management Systems, the pitchers cost between $50 and $70 and have a replaceable filter cartridge in them that cleans the water.

Mr Wong spent about $140 for two 3.3 litre pitchers and an additional $7 a month for the filter cartridges, which need replacing every six to eight weeks.

He said: 'I have confidence in drinking tap water, but I wanted to give my sons something purer.'

None of the three suppliers The Straits Times spoke to said they played on the 'yuck' factor some people associated with Newater being reclaimed.

But business has gone up in recent months when talk of Newater was in the news.

While not prepared to disclose sales figures, Mr Chin Sin Yoong, Allergy's managing director, said demand for the pitchers at its four outlets has seen a 'significant increase in the past few months, presumably in connection with the Newater issue'.

Also seeing more business is Dr Who WaterWorks, which sells bottled drinking water that comes in standard five-gallon tanks with attached dispensers.

And how is it different from tap water?

According to its 47-year-old chief executive, Dr Benji Tan, the water, which is purified and packaged in Malaysia, contains close to zero mineral content and goes through a process that makes it 'oxygen rich'.

He believes the water dispenser market as a whole sells about 200,000 pfive-gallon bottles a month.

The bulk of the 3,000 that he sells goes to companies, but Dr Tan said the number of homeowners choosing this option is 'growing slowly'.

The ultimate alternative to tap water in the market now must be to make your own water. One version on sale here draws in air and cools it to produce water, which is filtered through activated carbon granules.

Having taken over the distributorship of the Dewdrops freshwater-making machine recently, Mr Sunny Wee said that he has sold about 50 units in the last three months.

'My customers are usually very health-conscious and particular about drinking water.'

Asked what he thought of people buying water-makers or going for filters and bottled water, Environment Minister Lim Swee Say said it was absolutely not necessary.

'The quality of the PUB water will be as good, if not better than before, bearing in mind that Newater is much cleaner, much purer than the rainwater that we are getting in the reservoir.

'In fact, by injecting Newater into the reservoir, the rainwater becomes cleaner. Members of the public should feel 100 per cent comfortable to continue drinking water from the tap.'