Can I Drink Tap Water in Afghanistan?
Unsafe
Quick Answer
Tap water in Afghanistan is unsafe to drink. Use sealed bottled water or properly boiled/disinfected water for drinking and brushing teeth.
Tap water in Afghanistan should be treated as unsafe for travelers and most short-term visitors. Water quality varies sharply by city and neighborhood, and distribution systems are often damaged or intermittent. World Bank 2024 estimates show only about 30.6% of the population has safely managed drinking water services, although basic access is higher at about 80.8%. Strict food and water precautions are essential.
Water Quality Details
Afghanistan has severe water safety and infrastructure challenges driven by conflict damage, interrupted municipal service, weak treatment capacity, and reliance on wells or trucked water in many areas. The World Bank API (JMP-based indicators) reports about 30.6% safely managed drinking water service coverage in 2024, which means a large share of households may use water that is not reliably available, not protected from contamination, or not safely managed at the point of use. WHO disease outbreak reporting and travel health advisories also support a high-risk assessment for waterborne illness. Even where water is chlorinated, storage, pipes, and household containers can reintroduce contamination.
Water sourceGroundwater
TreatmentChlorination, Filtration
HardnessModerate
TDS300 ppm
Taste rating1/5
Taste notesvariable quality · earthy or metallic taste · chlorine may be inconsistent
Contaminant Data
Practical Tips
🧊 Avoid ice from tap
🪧 Use bottled for brushing
🍽 Avoid restaurant tap water
🔥 Boiling effective
💧 Filter recommended
- Drink only sealed bottled water from trusted vendors
- Boil water for at least one minute if bottled water is not available
- Use bottled or disinfected water for brushing teeth
- Avoid ice unless you know it was made from purified water
- Carry chlorine tablets or a filter as backup
- Avoid salads or uncooked foods washed with local water
Bottled water~$0.4 USD (Limited)
Recommended filtersReverse Osmosis, Ceramic, Gravity, Bottle Filter
Traveler Advice
Risk level: Very high
Diarrhea risk: Very high
Plan for self-sufficient drinking water. Keep sealed bottled water with you, use purification tablets or a reliable filter as backup, and do not use tap water for brushing teeth or making infant formula unless it has been properly boiled and disinfected. If you develop persistent diarrhea, vomiting, or fever, seek medical care quickly because dehydration risk is high.
Do not attempt to acclimate to local tap water in Afghanistan. Risk comes from pathogens and infrastructure failures, not just unfamiliar microbes.
- Drink only sealed bottled water from reliable vendors
- Boil or disinfect water when bottled water is unavailable
- Use bottled or disinfected water for brushing teeth
- Avoid ice and drinks diluted with local water
- Avoid raw foods washed with tap water
- Carry oral rehydration salts and a backup purifier
- Follow strict hand hygiene at all times
Health Warnings
⚠ Health Warnings
- High risk of waterborne gastrointestinal illness
- Cholera and acute watery diarrhea risk can rise during outbreaks and displacement
- Children and immunocompromised travelers face higher dehydration risk
Sources & References
Government
Official Report
Official Report
Data confidence: Low
Last updated: 2026-02-23