The drop of life: Tapping pure water

Hair loss, health concerns and high laundry bills are forcing people in Dubai to set up water purification systems.

For Shoukat Mohammad Dalal, a resident of Jumeirah Islands Community, it was a matter of saving his wife's lovely tresses.

"I had a water purification system installed six months ago. The water in Dubai is very hard and my wife tends to lose hair. My wife previously used to bathe in Masafi water. I don't want a wife who's bald. It might be better to invest in a water-softening machine than having to buy wigs for her. A lot of people I spoke to said the water is causing hair loss," said the British national.

"Back home we used to drink tap water. But here we use bottled water because a lot of people told us that the tap water may cause diarrhoea. So we installed the filtration system. We can now drink straight from the tap."

Purification

Similar concerns compelled Shakeel Seddiqi, a businessman, to buy a water purification system for his villa in The Meadows.

"I always seek better health for my family. The tap water in Dubai is not as clear as Volvic or Evian bottled water. The purified water that we drink now is extremely soft and clear. My wife and I wear expensive clothes. Using soft water for the laundry ensures that our clothes remain in good condition. I definitely recommend it."

Manufacturers are coming out with state-of-the-art water purifying systems. For instance, the So-Safe system claims to be the first of its kind in the UAE.

Multiple stages

"Designed locally and targeted at home-owners, it has a central water filtration system that purifies water in multiple stages to give a high quality of water free of bacteria, viruses and impurities," said Usman Mahmoud, Business Development Director, So-Safe International.

The filtration process includes pre-filter (removal of sediments), carbon filter (removal of chlorine and organic chemicals), conditioner (removal of hard chemicals) and ultra filtration.

"The ultra pure water, which is circulated throughout the house, is a lot healthier for drinking, cooking, laundry, bathing and gardening. Moreover, it does away with the need for bottled water and the use of plastic. The water is free of scaling chemicals and hardness, which eliminates additional energy costs," Mahmoud added.

Doctor speaks

On hair loss due to poor quality of water in Dubai, Dr Rolf Soehnchen, dermatologist at the American Hospital Dubai, said: "Patients often come with this complaint here. I cannot tell you whether it's true or not. There is no study conducted in the context of water quality and hair loss in Dubai. I don't know if it's a rumour."