Domestic Water Quality in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Due to water resources shortage in Saudi Arabia, the water
authority relies on intermittent water supply system. In this system,
the city is divided into a number of small sectors, and water is pumped
rotationally between the sectors according to an operational schedule.
The frequency of water pumping to a given sector varies from several
days to weeks. Between the intermittent water supply, pipes remain
empty and dry for long periods. Consumers construct the underground
storage water tanks to meet their demands. Lack of sewerage systems
in many areas with high water table in the city lead to the presence of
cesspools near the underground storage water tanks. Potential leakage
of polluted water into the distribution network is very high and the
pipe system is exposed to the pressure of contaminated surrounding
water table. These factors enhance the risk of drinking water
contamination. The first objective of this study is to assess the quality
of domestic water supply in Jeddah. One hundred and thirteen water
samples were collected in a five-month period between January and
June 2009. Thirteen parameters were evaluated and compared to the
maximum level of the WHO and Gulf standards for un-bottled
drinking water. The results showed a compliance with the drinking
water standards regarding the physical and chemical parameters,
except five samples which have exceeded the maximum allowable
limit for iron. The bacteriological results showed that up to 60% of the
samples were contaminated with total coliform. The second objective
is to evaluate the suitability and reliability of the most purchased
domestic water purification units (point-of-use) POU, and to select the
suitable water purification unit for the residential water in Jeddah.
Unit III, which consists of fiber filters, activated carbon filter and the
ultraviolet UV- Sterilizer of ultraviolet (UV), was found to be suitable
for domestic use in Jeddah