A survey on drinking water preferences and point of use water treatment systems in Adana, Turkey

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports show that the accessibility of improved drinking water in Turkey has improved by 100% since 1990. However because of the threat of water-borne diseases, many still think that it is not wise to drink tap water. This has increased the demand for "point-of-use" water treatment systems in Turkey. This study aims to assess public preferences on drinking municipal tap water amongst the inhabitants of Adana, Turkey, and to establish the awareness of filter replacement of point of use water treatment systems. 5,139 individuals were interviewed (women 44% and men 56%) and a high percentage of the respondents expressed a preference for using tap water rather than bottled or filtered water. The users of filtered water stated that they preferred the filtration system to remove the pathogens and to change the odor/taste/color of the water. As the age of consumers increased, the bottled and filtered water utilization increased while tap water utilization decreased. In terms of gender, men had a higher ratio to prefer drinking tap water than women. Consumption of tap water decreased as education level and income increased.