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Is Dubai Tap Water Safe To Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 8:15 am, May 23, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in Dubai?

Yes, tap water is drinkable.

Tap Safe includes data from many publicly available sources, including the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Center for Disease Control), and user submitted databases, but unfortunately there's not enough data about Dubai.

To see user submitted ratings of the water quality for United Arab Emirates, see the "User Submitted Ratings" box on this page.

Generally speaking, you can absolutely drink tap water in Dubai and other parts of the UAE. However, we need to consider some potential risks.

As stated by Ultra, a maintenance company, debris, and other contaminants could build up over time in the water storage tank and provide a breeding ground such as legionella and other harmful bacteria. These can create a high-risk environment for the entire building if left unchecked. Tanks should be regularly clean every six months.

Dubai Tap Water
Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Any domestic water supply, contamination can occur but is rare, mainly storage tanks are cleaned regularly. Dubai tap water comes from desalinated sea-water and represents some of the best technology available. Treatment with chlorine, not fluoride. All public water systems have harmless bacterial“slime’ and travelers can suffer some intestinal discomfort initially as the intestinal flora reacts to different strains. Some consider tap water safer than bottled water, where exposure to PBAs can occur. Moreover, of course, there is the ecosystem cost of plastic packaging.

Source of Water in Dubai, UAE

Dubai drinking water came from desalination. The source is from the seawater; they boil it and let the steam cool. The evaporated water is then filtered and treated to make it fit for drinking, washing, and industrial use. The concentrated saltwater, which is the byproduct, will then drawn back into the Gulf. The water is handled first in the Dubai Aluminium (Jebel Ali) works before final cleaning at the DEWA (Jebel Ali) plant. In this system, they can utilize the water first to cool the aluminum smelters before further sanitation and domestic/commercial consumption.

Is DUBAI Water Hard?

Due to rainwater falls, water is naturally soft. Still, running water from the ground and into our waterways, it picks up minerals like chalk, lime, and mostly calcium and magnesium. Note that hard water contains essential minerals. Because of the health benefits, most people preferred hard water. Sometimes soft water tastes salty that makes it not suitable for drinking.

Hard water: is water that contains a considerable quantity of dissolved minerals (like calcium and magnesium).

Soft water: is treated water in which the only ion is sodium.

Traveler’s Notes

Tap water is safe to drink, so think of the environment and resist those plastic bottles if you can.

Relative links:

What do people in Dubai think about the tap water?

Tap water is safe to drink, so think of the environment and resist those plastic bottles if you can.

FAQs about Dubai Water

Is it OK to drink tap water in Dubai?
Can you drink tap water in Dubai? The tap water that you receive from the supply company is perfectly safe to drink. Furthermore, Dubai's water supply infrastructure has a large surplus reserve to compensate even if everyone in Dubai starts to use tap water for drinking and cooking.
How do Dubai get water?
There are two sources of water in UAE: Desalinated seawater and groundwater. While groundwater is used for agriculture in Al Ain and Liwa, drinking water is provided entirely from desalinated seawater across the Emirate.
Is Dubai water hard or soft?
Hair loss, frizzy locks and dull colour are problems for many here, and the most obvious culprit is the desalinated water. Although most desalinated water is soft, word on the street is that our water here is hard (which means soap won't lather properly in it) and that it's pumped with chlorine.
Is water expensive in Dubai?
Dubai is 36.26% less expensive than New York (without rent).
...
Cost of Living in Dubai.
Does Dubai have sewage system?
The sewage plant in Al Awir is one of the main areas of waste water treatment in Dubai. It has been significantly expanded in recent years. The first phase of the plant has a designed capacity of 260,000 m3 per day but by December 2007 it was dealing with almost 500,000 m3 per day.
Which is the best drinking water in Dubai?
Dubai's best bottled water
Ferrarelle. Dhs15 for 500 ml. Sodium: Not declared. ...
Aquafina. Dhs3 for 600 ml. Sodium: 16 mg per litre. ...
Arwa. Dhs2 for 500 ml. Sodium: 3.3 mg per litre. ...
San Pellegrino. Dhs24 for 1.5 litres. ...
Super Gulf. Dhs5 for 1.5 litres. ...
Qvarzia. Dhs24 for 750 ml. ...
Oxygizer. Dhs8.50 for 500 ml. ...
Crystal. Dhs2 for 500 ml.
Is Dubai Tap Water Safe To Drink? Tap water & safety quality

The estimated price of bottled water

$0.65 in USD (1.5-liter)

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

Dubai tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 35% Low
  • Water Pollution 40% Moderate
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 65% High
  • Water Quality 60% High

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Dubai, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

Current Weather in Dubai

DUBAI WEATHER

Some of the Convenience Stores in DUBAI

Circle K Convenience Store
Circle K Convenience Store
  • Circle K Store
  • 7-Eleven
  • Sakb Convenience Store
  • ZOOM
  • F Mart
  • Allday Minimart Sofitel
  • Shuaa Al Madina
  • Emarat Plus
  • Grab & Go
  • Bluemart Liwan
  • Adnoc

Estimated Price of Bottled Water

VolumeAEDUSDEURGBP
1.5-literد.إ 2.25$0.61€0.56£0.49
500ml2.00 د.إ $0.54 €0.49 £0.42
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