BEIRUT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The state-run Establishment of the Water of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (EBML) announced Monday that potable water distributed in May and June 2018 is free from microbes according to the tests it conducted, local media reported.
"Chemical tests show that tap water is healthy and it conforms to international standards of quality which means that it does not cause any harm to the health," according to the National News Agency.
However, EBML added that tap water has high level of sodium and nitrate in some Lebanese areas and the related departments are working on securing alternative sources to guarantee citizens' access to healthy water.
On June 13, EBML temporarily halted the distribution of potable water in order to ensure its purity, due to heavy rainfall.
"The heavy rains that occurred in different mountainous areas, especially in Kesrouan and Jbeil, led to floods and resulted in rainwater being mixed with groundwater, which is used as drinking water and distributed to citizens," it said.
Meanwhile, an investigation done last year by Orb Media, a global non-profit newsroom based in Washington, stated that Lebanon's tap water contains the second highest percentage of plastic pollutants after the United States.
Approximately 94 percent of the samples in Lebanon are contaminated, despite the water supply coming from natural springs, the study showed.
