However serene those streams, rivers and lakes in India may look, drinking water from them might lead to deadly intestinal diseases. Drinking straight from these water sources, without purifying them, invites diseases like Giardia, Lamblia and Cryptosporidium. 

The water is rural Indian cities is packed with microbial killers. While backpacking, treat all water you consume as if it’s contaminated with Giardia or Cryptosporidium. The best treatment method is to boil the water. Filtering and some forms of chemical treatment are also effective in reducing the risk. Good hand washing and sanitation practices also are important when camping. 

Some ways to treat water are: 

Boiling: If you have a campfire, boiling makes your water safe to drink. This is a tried and tested method of killing microscopic beasts. However, the water ends up tasting like wood smoke. You can decant the water from one bottle to another to get rid of the sour burnt taste. Another option is to use a couple of herbal tea-bags. The Centers for Disease Control recommends boiling water for three minutes to make sure all viruses are truly dead. 

Iodine Tablets and Drops: Iodine has some strong advantages. It’s lightweight and reliable. The only disadvantage is that it does not kill the most recent arrival on the microbial scene: Cryptosporidium. Iodine tablets kill most waterborne critters, but taste bad. Use a water filter if available. Iodine is easily available in India in liquid, crystal or tablet form. Read the directions for how much to use and how long to wait after adding iodine. To change the flavour, you can add a piece of lemon peel in your water bottle. Carry a few tablets of iodine, even if you plan to mostly filter or boil your water. So sometimes, when you don't feel like filtering or boiling, you'll still be able to drink water. 

Portable Water Filters: Water filters are as important as your hiking shoes. These microscopic strainers give you clean water with no bad taste. To choose a filter, first look at the ‘absolute’ pore size, which should be less than one micron. 

However, clogging is the main filter problem. Keep the filter element as clean as possible. Start by using clear water. Or let clouded water sit for a while so that the junk settles on the bottom. You can also pre-filter water through a bandanna or cloth or use the pre-filter that comes with some filter systems. If you’re filtering directly from the water source, use a float to keep your intake tube off the river or lake bottom. 

Some ceramic filters can be cleaned by scrubbing the element with an old toothbrush while others can be wiped clean. Another option is to reverse the intake and output tubes, then pump backwards so that the water flushes the dirt out of the filter element. After backwashing, run clean water that has been treated with iodine or bleach through the filter and its hoses.