Water in Delhi is less a beverage and more a trust exercise. Here are the rules, and they are not optional.
Sealed bottles only.
The holy trinity of safe hydration: Bisleri, Kinley, Aquafina. Avoid anything labelled “packaged drinking water” from brands you’ve never heard of.
Always check that the cap is factory-sealed and makes a satisfying click when you twist it open. If it turns too easily, hand it back.
A regular bottle of water costs ₹20. The fancy Himalayan-spring varieties go up to ₹80. A bottle of Fiji water, should you crave a luxury that makes no geographic sense whatsoever in Delhi, will run you over ₹500.
No ice from street vendors. Ever. Hotel and restaurant ice is generally fine. Street-side ice is a different animal entirely. You do not want to know the provenance. Enough said.
Brush your teeth with bottled water. Yes, it sounds like the advice of an anxious parent sending their child to summer camp. But for the first week at least, crack open a fresh bottle every morning for oral hygiene. Your gut is adjusting to a new microbial ecosystem — there’s no need to accelerate the introduction through your toothbrush.