Qualitative Assessment Of Bottled Water In The Middle East

Many brands of bottled water are being produced in the Middle East including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Over fourteen brands of bottled water could be found in the market of Doha. Use of bottled water has kept on increasing in this region. Reasons for the increase in use of bottled water for drinking have been discussed. The raw water source for the bottled water is groundwater. Most of the manufacturers of the bottled water claim bottled water as "Natural Mineral Water" which is contrary to the definition suggested by the International Bottled Water Association of Washington D.C. In fact there is no such thing as "mineral water" and the term is a misnomer. Samples of various brands of bottled water available in Doha and municipal water were collected during 1993 and 1994 for physical, chemical, and bacteriological analysis. All the samples were found potable and safe for drinking and conform to various drinking water standards. The physical and chemical composition of bottled water varies with time but the concentration of constituents printed on the labels of bottles is always the same. It may be preferable to print the range of concentration on the labels rather than a single value. Moreover the analysis should be monitored and certified by a competent authority, and should be displayed on the label.