ABU DHABI: A member of the Federal National Council from Ras Al Khaimah is due to put a question to Suhail Bin Mohammad Al Mazroui, Minister of Energy and Industry, on Wednesday concerning contamination of tap water.
Naama Al Sharhan’s question comes in the backdrop of last week’s reports of water contamination in an Ajman tower that left 190 residents sick. Toxic chemicals are suspected to have caused the contamination.
Al Sharhan told Gulf News on Monday authorities must address the root causes of tap water contamination, which occurred in Ras Al Khaimah several months ago.
Al Sharhan said residents in Ras Al Khaimah complained of contaminated reddish drinking water supplied to their houses but the Federal Electricity and Water Authority said the water was completely free from any bacterial or chemical pollutants.
“Investigation showed the internal water lines of some houses, buildings and residential compounds could have been galvanised out of poor-quality iron,” she said.
The member quoted authorities as saying water networks in these houses could have worn out and needed to be changed to avoid any chemical interactions and that regular cleaning of water tanks, at least every six months, is critical to avoid any undesired chemical interactions due to the accumulation of iron in water.
Al Sharhan suggested water tanks should be made of anti-rust and anti-corrosion materials so as not to be affected by the physical and chemical properties of the water.
The member said residents complained the water samples collected proved to have high percentages of iron oxide up to 2.44ppm, while the maximum level of acceptable microbiological pollutants in drinking water is only 0.3mg per litre.
The central labs of the environment protection authority in Ras Al Khaimah said that the water samples taken showed some algae.
The House will also quiz 11 ministers over several other issues including control of cosmetic clinics and personal loan interests and English tests for Arabic language graduates.
