Doha - Water, water everyhwere. But which is the best of them all -- tap, filtered or ground water -- and the debate is growing in Qatar. While some companies are cashing in on selling expensive and elaborate water filters, the National Health Authority (NHA) says specialised filters are not required for tap water.
Dr Mohammed A Ali, head of the Environmental Health Section at NHA, yesterday told The Peninsula: "Water in the public supply network do not require any further treatment but need only normal filtering to remove the sediments. There are some companies promoting Reverse Osmosis (RO) filters which they claim will remove salt from desalinated water. The content of salt in tap water in Qatar is mild and such filters are not required here."
Apart from being expensive, RO filters are difficult to maintain and if they are not maintained properly, they themselves could become a source of contamination, warned Ali. He, however, strongly recommended filtering of tap water used for internal consumption to remove "suspended matters" like dust, sand and other sediments.
He said, with the exception of a single company, all the local companies producing bottled water in Qatar are using desalinated water, with some additional filtering and treatment. The said company has been using natural well water. However, all these companies are complying with WHO standards. An expatriate drinking water from a filter-fitted cooler yesterday. (salim matramkot)
He said, the quality of tap water in Qatar is very high at the production point, but there is a possibility for contamination at the distribution points, especially due to the poor maintenance of internal water tanks.
"We suggest that all water tanks used in houses, restaurants and other places must be cleaned properly at least in every six months. They should also be kept closed to protect against dirt coming from outside," said Mohammed Ali.
The Environmental Health Section is responsible for checking the quality of water distributed through the public network as well as bottled water, from the point of production up to the point of consumption.
For this purpose, the department conducts regular inspections at factories, restaurants, bakeries, juice stalls, public coolers, schools, universities, public and private swimming pools, among other places.
"We collect water samples from all these places and conduct regular tests. If any problem is found with the quality of the water, we ask the concerned parties to correct it. If they fail to do it within a given time, we report the case to the authorities concerned for further action," said Ali.
He said, the department was also concerned about the quality of public water tanks, underground reservoirs as well as the tankers used for transporting water. A set of new standards was recently issued for water tankers following recommendations submitted by the department.
As per the new directives, the drivers and other workers of a water tanker are required to procure a health certificate from NHA, which is similar to the "food handlers certificate".
Asked about the quality of public water coolers in Qatar, Ali said: "A majority of them have been maintained properly, especially those in the mosques. We are regularly checking the quality of drinking water in public coolers in parks, gardens, schools and other places as well as the water used in private and public swimming pools. We also offer free water tests for households on request."
By Mmohammed Iqbal
© The Peninsula 2007
