Despite Student Concerns, EC Tap Water is Safe to Drink

Jueun Choi, Editor-in-chief

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Story and infographic by Jueun Choi

Many of the residents in Education City’s student dorms have expressed concern over the quality of drinking water, opting to stock up on bottled water instead of drinking from the tap. However, water safety experts have, through regular testing, concluded that Education City’s tap water is perfectly safe to drink.

According to recent polls of EC residents conducted by this Daily Q reporter on Facebook, out of 91 respondents, 45 percent said they mainly drink bottled water. The next most common option was to drink tap water straight from their room or kitchen, at 35 percent.

“As I do not know whether the water is clean or safe to use, I assumed it’s not safe so I always buy bottled water instead, which actually is such a burden to make sure I wont run out of it,” said Huda Al-Alami, a resident in the women’s dorm and student at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Most residents who drink bottled water have to frequently visit nearby malls or the Lulu Express near the Education City Community Housing lots in Al Rayyan to buy it, which is a 20-to-30-minute drive from Education City.

“It’s convenient to buy water bottles, especially since it’s only a riyal. I don’t trust the tap water at the dorms, regardless of the fact that it’s filtered; it just doesn’t seem hygienic,” said Alawiya Al-Husseiny, a female dorm resident from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

To clear up the confusion, experts of water safety from the Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Directorate at Qatar Foundation said tap water in Education City is perfectly safe to drink. “Water being distributed in Qatar Foundation is healthy for human consumption. However, we are always monitoring to make sure that the quality remains potable,” said Nisreen N. Abdrabbo, the Head of Environment at the HSSE Directorate.

HSSE carries out inspections on water quality in Education City biweekly preferably; but when there are too many requests for water inspection, they inspect water in Education City at least monthly, and so far all results have been positive, according to Benjamin Igwe, a senior environmental specialist at HSSE.

“Kahramaa is the sole distributor of potable water in the State of Qatar and as such carries out water quality monitoring in the country. HSSE does its own internal monitoring within the foundation,” said Abdrabbo.

Igwe said when Kahramaa sends water to HSSE’s central plant, HSSE applies extra treatment such as adding sodium hypochlorite to make sure that the water attains the appropriate chlorine level. HSSE then tests the water safety to ensure the quality of the water before they supply it to Education City buildings. He added that university branches in EC and local schools are their top priorities for regular HSSE inspection, taking precedence over other organizations, such as normal offices.

Some students said they were worried about water quality because they observed cloudy water, but Abdrabbo clarified that this was caused by air bubbles and not any type of harmful or dirty substance. “When water is distributed in an enclosed pipe, it is under pressure and air bubbles are created in the system. If the water is left standing, say in a glass cup, the bubbles will disappear and the water will be clear,” she said.

Water quality in Qatar Foundation satisfies the stringent standards of global, regional, and local guidelines, Igwe said. HSSE follows the World Health Organization’s guidelines for drinking water, the GCC Standardization Organization’s standard for unbottled drinking water, and Kahramaa’s requirements for water distribution system.

Another common question raised by students is even if the water itself is clean, what if the pipes are contaminated? Igwe answered that Kahrama, Qatar’s sole producer and distributer of the water pipeline system, has been following strict specifications to ensure quality of pipelines in the country. Kahramaa uses a technique in pipeline production and maintenance for the entire country called cement mortar lining. The inside of the pipes are coated with cement mortar lining to prevent direct contact between the pipeline and the water, which prevents any form of corrosion, he said.

“The pipes can be there for 35 years. It does not allow corrosion. And it does not leave sediment. It prevents any kind of reaction. So the water that flows through is very good,” Igwe said.

Igwe and Abdrabbo recommend that residents drink tap water rather than bottled water because tap water is safer. Contrary to popular belief, bottled water may be risky because during transportation, bottles are exposed to the sun and the plastic may melt into the water. In 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council declared that that there is no assurance that bottled water is cleaner or safer than tap. Moreover, drinking bottled water requires more use of plastic that hurts local environmental sustainability.

This Daily Q reporter conducted a screening test of the water in Education City’s female dormitory using the Watersafe tool, available for purchase on Amazon. The results showed that the water sample passed a series of tests checking for copper, iron, nitrate, lead and pesticide, and chlorine;  the test showed that the water is free from harmful substances, or contained the ideal amount for consumption.

Although there is a risk that the Watersafe results may not be completely accurate due to the possibility of human error or the lack of reliability of the tool, they are largely in line with the results of HSSE’s own inspection in showing that water in the dorms is safe to drink.

HSSE’s regular water inspections are carried out using sensitive, accurate, and calibrated equipment, Igwe said. Their results also proved the safety of water, according to Igwe. Once HSSE has compiled the latest results, he said that he is willing to share the full report with The Daily Q.

Staff in the Residence Life Housing and Residence Life at Education City backed up HSSE’s claims regarding the quality of the tap water.  “Regarding the water quality, regular testing is conducted to ensure that the water is safe to drink,” said Dr. Matthew Nelson, assistant director for Residence Life Housing and Residence Life.

“I trust the water quality at the dorms. I drink it all of the time. I’m not just saying that because I work here either,” said Gabrielle Calabro, residence hall coordinator at Housing and Residence Life. “After starting to work I was told about how carefully and regularly the water is tested. And I’ve never had any type of sensitivity or stomach issues.”

Some student staffers in Housing and Residence Life initially had doubts about water quality in dorms, but soon changed their minds after training.

“I used to buy bottled water. Lots and lots of it! But as part of our training, the CDAs (Community Development Advisors) were given a session on sustainability. I realized how important it was not only to give up the unnecessary use of plastic, but also to make others conscious of it,” said Zohaib Tahir, a junior at Georgetown University in Qatar and a CDA at the male dorm.

“So is the case with the water fountains in the residence halls. We all fear that they might not be clean, but they actually are!” he said. “Hence, in summary I think it’s really important to educate people about the facts and figures so that they can make informed decisions.”

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