Consumers must take caution before drinking water in UAE

Tag : clean drinking water
The Dubai Food and Environment Laboratory section has advised thatalthough both bottled and non-bottled water are generallydrinkable, there are important factors to consider before consumingyour next glass or bottle.

The Dubai Municipality has cautioned that when drinking non-bottledwater, 'Consumers should pay great attention since mostcontamination cases happen due to misuse and neglecting regular andperiodical maintenance on water pipes networks inside houses,buildings, and water tanks. This ignorance allows minute germs andflora to grow in water which is the main cause for watermicrobiological contamination, making water unsuitable for humanconsumption.'

Each day, the Laboratory receives samples of drinking water, bothbottled and non-bottled. The samples are subject to physical,microbiological and chemical analysis to ensure drinking water issuitable for consumption and conforms to the current UAE standards as issued by the UAE Standardization Organization.

Although bottled water does not need to go through the samescrutiny as non-bottled drinking water, Jeema Water's GeneralManager, Mohab Hanafy, advises that consumers should still look forsigns before drinking bottled water: 'Since most of the UAE consumes bottled water, people should be mindful of certain signs.Make sure the bottle is intact and sealed before opening it.Bottles should be clean in the neck area and the water should beclear and transparent with no impurities or flaws.'

Mr. Hanafy and the Dubai Municipality both cautioned that with thesummer heat, people should not consume old bottles of water thathave been sitting in the sun and should avoid keeping water nearpollution sources or cleaning materials and petrochemical products.

The Dubai Municipality pays great attention to drinking water toensure its quality conforms to UAE drinking water quality standards which are in line and harmonizedwith the standards of both the World Health Organization fornon-bottled drinking water and the International Food Code (CODEX)for bottled water.