KUWAIT CITY, May 18: The suppliers of Abraaj bottled water stressed Tuesday that the water was safe to drink. This came after e-mails were circulated on the Internet Tuesday claiming the Ministry of Health had announced that the water was not suitable for human consumption.
The Arab Times was also sent a copy of a “memo,” allegedly issued by the US Embassy in Kuwait to all its mission personnel, stating that the ministry had declared that the water had tested positive for microbes and pollutants and was not considered safe for human consumption.
Speaking to the Arab Times, Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Health, Faisal Al-Dosari, denied any announcements had been made by ministry on Tuesday on this issue as it has “already been looked into and forgotten”.
On March 24, the Ministry of Health announced that Abraaj bottled water was safe after examining samples of the water.
Certificates and analysis reports provided to the Arab Times by New Technology Bottling Company KSCC,  the suppliers of Abraaj bottled water, have revealed that the Ministry of Health tested water samples from Abraaj bottles on March 15, 2010 and deemed the drinking water suitable for consumption.

The sample bottles tested varied in size, from 300 ml to five gallons and were produced on March 9, 2010 with the expiry date of March 8, 2011. According to the analysis, all samples tested show that the bromate concentration of the water was less than five micrograms per liter and suitable for human consumption.
Subsequently the Ministry of Health announced on March 24 their findings confirming the safety of the bottled water.
The documents received by the bottling company also include analysis reports by the Biotechnology Department — Food Resources Division at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). KISR tested one sample of Abraaj bottled water on March 28 verifying its safety. The results indicate no detection of bacteria, Coliform or E. Coli.
According to KISR Central Analytical Laboratory, the pH level of one water sample was 7.28, the fluoride level 0.84 mg/L, the bicarbonate level 24.5, the chloride level 42.3 mg/L, the sodium level 6.20 mg/L, the calcium level 26.80 mg/L, the magnesium level 10.80 mg/L and the sulfate level 21.5 mg/L.
The Kuwait Municipality has also deemed the water suitable for importing and consumption, according to the documents.