The quality of tap water in the Iranian capital is 70% better than that of bottled water brands, an official at the Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Co. said, according to what he referred to as "scientific findings."
Ahmad Moshiri, head of the Drinking Water Quality Control Department at the company, also claimed that the capital's potable water is of better quality compared to European drinking water.
Moshiri said the sediments of European wastewater treatment plants have been pouring into underground waters 50 meters deep since 250 years ago, adding that industrial units as well as vessels in Europe often dump their wastewater in waterways.
"There are numerous scientific findings (to prove) that Tehran's purified water is superior to that of bottled water brands," he said, pointing to a recent statement by the Health Ministry that branded Damavand bottled water is "contaminated".
Also last month, the Food and Drug Administration said some bottled water brands were found to contain nitrate above the permissible levels.
The production licenses of 10% of bottled water companies, including Damavand's, were suspended by FDA in mid-September and their brands withdrawn from the market.
This comes as the Energy Ministry announced last month that as of September 23, water tariffs rose by 15% for high consumers and by 10% for subscribers observing the consumption pattern.
According to energy officials, water is a heavily-subsidized commodity and consumers pay only one-third of its real price in Iran.
Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian has said the government's policy to liberalize water and electricity prices is based on a gradual rise in tariffs to maintain the balance between revenues and costs.
