The quality of piped water in Tehran is monitored with the help of 400 online systems, all of which comply with the World Health Organization standards, the head of Quality Control Department in Tehran Province Water and Wastewater Company said.
“Close to 100 technical laboratories in the capital check samples of the running water regularly and there are no concerns regarding its quality,” Mahtab Baghbani was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
All water and wastewater treatment facilities in Tehran are equipped with online monitoring systems that are functioning round the clock, she added.
Baghbani noted that in addition to TWWC, samples are also analyzed by the Health Ministry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences all year round.
Denying social media rumors about the poor quality of potable water in the capital, TWWC issued a statement to assure people that the quality of water is the Energy Ministry's redline and it will never allow it to be overshadowed by quantitative concerns.
According to the statement, under critical circumstances, the ministry may decide to reduce the quantity of potable water, but the quality will always be a top priority.
Pointing to the importance of the issue, TWWC said producing good quality tapwater is like a long-term investment in promoting social welfare and health.
"Not long ago, quality was not a major concern as a bulk of the water was extracted from underground tables," the company added, noting that ground resources are dry and surface water is the main source.
Currently, more than 800 high-tech laboratories across Iran assess the potable water's quality 24/7 and plans are underway to increase their efficiency by taking advantage of more devices.
The sprawling capital has six treatment facilities that treat 30,000 liters of water per second (2.8 billion liters per day).
Close to 3 billion liters of water (3 million cubic meters) are consumed in Tehran daily (1.1 billion cubic meters per annum).
Of the total daily demand, 30% (1 billion liters) must be extracted from underground sources that are depleting faster than expected.
Five dams, namely Amirkabir and Taleqan (in the west of Tehran) as well as Latian, Lar and Mamlou (in the east), meet 70% of Tehran’s water needs.
According to TWWC, Tehran Province is home to an extended network of rivers (3,900 km) and protecting their banks from “mafia-like” land grabbers has become a tough task.
Due to the steep decline in groundwater levels, it is crucial to stop excessive and illegal water use in the metropolis
Last year, 1,337 illegal wells were closed and this year 1,400 more will be deactivated.
