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I'm trying to get people to take my survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=996343099705 but I also have a few follow-up questions for discussion from everyone here...

Some people have told me that drinking the tap water in the UAE is unsafe. Other sources (including several travel websites) say that the tap water is fine.

* What do you think?

It seems that bottled water here is very popular, and much cheaper than in Europe. One can easily pay 2 Euro for a bottle of water in Europe, but in Dubai one rarely pays more than 1 Dirham.

* Why is bottled water so cheap in the UAE?

And did you know that in Singapore, they actually drink "reclaimed" water (i.e., sewage water that has gone through a purifying process).

* Do you think that reclaimed water will ever be used in the UAE?

Also, some people tell me that UAE Nationals do not pay for water -- that it is free for them. (Seems to be an extrordinary indulgence in a country where highly-expensive desalination processes are the source of 80% of the water).

* Is that true that water is free for UAE nationals?

If you have a few moments, I'd appreciate it if you can take my survey! (No, I'm not making any money off this... it's just part of an academic research project I'm doing.) And if you have any comments about the survey, I'd love to hear them!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=996343099705

pretty comprehensive one:)

According to the Ministry, the Water is safe to drink (but I dont know anyone who does). However, I dont trust the Pipes or Storage tanks in the apartments, so I wouldnt touch it.

You could boil the water then cool it...it should be fine... let us know how you feel once you try it.

V-Man wrote:You could boil the water then cool it...it should be fine... let us know how you feel once you try it.

Better don't.
Boiling kills germs and stuff... but it won't remove any chemicals, lead etc. from the water.

I drink it - not as a rule, but when there has been no bottled aqua on site, I will drink from the tap and have never had any problems, but I also believe you need to ingest the odd germ to keep the constitution good and strong - some people get so paranoid that become disinfectant dependent anemics.

But eat free peanuts from a bar - NOOO!! that is the really bad.

V-Man wrote:According to the Ministry, the Water is safe to drink (but I dont know anyone who does). However, I dont trust the Pipes or Storage tanks in the apartments, so I wouldnt touch it.

You could boil the water then cool it...it should be fine... let us know how you feel once you try it.

Yeah, the storage tanks are what worry me a bit. We don't have a storage tank where I live, but some of those ancient apartment building that use the tanks... seems a bit dangerous.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=996343099705

i've been drinking boiled water from the tap over the past 8 months. i'm still alive and kicking though... i'm considering installing a water filter to reduce the risk of lead poisoning

oh well....wat do u guys think?

Try to put the water (or boiled water) into a white bowl (for better sight), let it for few hours, sometimes you'll find sands, or worst the water is yellowish. At least in my apartment.

V-Man wrote:You could boil the water then cool it...it should be fine... let us know how you feel once you try it.

Boiling it will only increase the concentration of trace elements. Considering the water here is already very heavy, this would make it even heavier.

I've used tap water in the kettle, but you need to rinse it out every cup, otherwise you can really taste the concentration of minerals.

Consider the human race drank mud (by our standards) for the past 10,000 years prior to the 1900s, I wouldn't stress out too much.

tried that......nothing much. i even boiled the water and put it into one of them mineral water bottles and drank it from there. put it for a few days..still clear... hrmmz....different standardS?

i mean i stay in international city so no probs there.......

Its probably due to the fact that you have new water tanks...

I drink tap water if bottled water is not available. so far, i haven't experience any diarhea yet.

Its fine to drink tap water here compared to some parts of the world. I've seen construction workers drinking the water straight from the faucet - that you can see along the road. Don't put them in danger please.. health is their only wealth.