Egyptian water unsafe

Egypt's Consumer Protection Agency found six locally-produced brands of bottled water, including the internationally-recognised brand Schweppes, unfit for human consumption according to chairman Said el-Alfy.

The study was financed by Alfy's agency and was conducted over two months by the Central Egyptian Society for Consumer Protection and the Ministry for Health.

"Twenty-one samples of bottled water were taken and bacteria were discovered in six of them," Alfy said.

Contaminated samples were detected in the 1.5-litre bottles of Schweppes and el-Nada, as well as in the larger, 19-litre bottles of Nahl, Aquastone, Aquamena and Hayat, according to the report.

The study also uncovered seven other brands that were fraudulently labeled, with several ingredients listed not matching the actual content of the water. These bottles had been passed as fit for consumption according to the agency's findings.

Fradulently labeled products included 1.5-litre bottles of Baraka, el-Manar, Delta, Hayat, Aquamena and Nahl and 19-litre bottles of Siwa.

The Egypt Consumer Protection Agency approved only seven brands fit for consumption and confirmed that most bottled water brands in Egypt are sourced from processed tap water or water from wells that are 160- to 170-meters deep.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement that it had formed an emergency committee to inspect the factories as soon as possible.

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