Al Ain: Dr Ruwaya Al Kandi, of the biology department at the UAE University in Al Ain, said nearly 43 per cent of water wells in the country are contaminated with bacteria that can cause people who have been exposed to high concentrations of the bacteria to contract diseases or infections.
“Studies carried out on wells in different parts of the country showed six out of 14 wells are contaminated with high concentrations of bacteria which can survive in the intestines of both man and animal,” Dr Ruwaya said.
Dr Ruwaya explained that the study also showed that the quantity of the bacteria in these water wells exceeded the standard level for safe consumption, even for irrigation of crops.
“The presence of the bacteria in water wells is an indication that there has been a contamination of animal or human excrement. It also points towards the possibility of other contaminants in the water such as insecticides and agricultural fertilisers,” Dr Ruwaya said.
Dr Ruwaya warned that such contamination is a key factor in the spread of diseases, adding that anyone who has consumed the water could contract intestinal diseases.
A motion by Ahmad Mohammad Rahmeh Al Shamsi, a member from Ajman, which was unanimously adopted by the Federal National Council, is meant to ensure effective federal control systems are enforced and to evaluate compliance with international standards in food safety and quality, animal health, animal welfare, animal nutrition and plant health sectors within the UAE and in third countries in relation to their exports to the country.
Al Shamsi demanded that a federal food watchdog be set up to ensure a high level of food safety across the country through farm-to-fork monitoring.
“The food safety situation is catastrophic in certain emirates,” Al Shamsi said, demanding that the FAO and WHO food safety guidelines be strictly enforced to ensure farm-to-table monitoring of food across the country.
