RAK residents complain of 'red water'

Ras Al Khaimah - Internal water lines of some houses, buildings and residential compounds could be galvanised out of poor-quality iron.

While residents in RAK have complained of "contaminated red colour drinking water" supplied to their houses, the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa) has clarified that the water is completely free from pollutants.
Mohammed Saleh, director-general of Fewa - the organisation in charge of supplying water to these places - said the water supplied is 100 per cent free from any bacterial or chemical pollutants.
"We did take some samples from the water supplied to these areas across Ras Al Khaimah, and all of them proved to be free from any pollutants, be they bacterial or chemical," he added.
According to Saleh, the internal water lines of some houses, buildings and residential compounds could be galvanised out of poor-quality iron.
"The same applies to the water heaters used in houses wherein water turns into iron oxide that is blamed for the brown or red colour, which also damages filters."
The water networks in these houses could be old and worn out and need to be changed to avoid any chemical interactions, he pointed out. "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."
Sources at the RAK Municipality said they are eligible to inspect any water tanks and make sure that they are up to set health and technical standards.
"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. Good quality materials are not also affected by heat or humidity, are light permeable and have no impact on human health."
All water tanks should be equipped with spacious openings suitable for cleaning, they said. "The ventilation openings should not let any bugs, dust or pollutants."
However, residents said that the water samples collected proved to have high percentages of iron oxide up to 2.44ppm. "The maximum level of acceptable microbiological pollutants in drinking water is only 0.3mg per litre."
Sources with the central labs of the environment protection authority said that the water samples taken showed some algae. "The green yellowish colour of the water sample is due to the lack of cleaning on a regular basis."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah