JEDDAH: A recent survey showed 41 percent of the residents were skeptical about the quality of desalinated water supplied to underground tanks and therefore depend mainly on bottled water. They said they use water from the underground tanks and general network for washing purposes and not for drinking. They wanted to know who guarantees the cleanliness of the water tanks and ensures it is not mixed with sewage water. Over 31 percent of respondents also said the real question is who guarantees the purity of the water. They said it is not a matter of trust or distrust. They added that landlords do not care about the cleanliness of water tanks. This skepticism was also expressed about the water tanks of public facilities such as schools, hospitals and administrations. Another segment, representing 17 percent of respondents, said that even if water tanks are clean, nobody can guarantee that the water pipelines are not mixed with sewage or groundwater, especially in the absence of regular maintenance. The remaining 11 percent surprisingly said that they considered desalinated water safer and cleaner than water from water treatment plants, which they think is the most dangerous. They claim that owners of these plants do not comply with health and safety measures. They think that many consumers believe this water causes most cases of renal failure in the Kingdom.
