QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Nalin Hamza, from the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria and a mother of five, used to boil and then cool water before drinking.
She abides by instructions given by doctors who said children should drink boiled or mineral water.
Hamza said her children used to complain of aches after seeing a doctor he said the reason lies in high rates of calcified water.
For years, locals of Qamishli complain about high rates of calcification in the drinking water that leads to kidney stones and hair loss (alopecia) making it dry or causing dandruff of the scalp. It could also lead to xeroderma and stretch marks notably those diagnosed with psoriasis or dermatitis.
High rates of calcification lead to a calcified patches at the bottom of electric kettles and the creation of a layer of calcification on tools such as spoons and plates and at the snaps that could not easily be removed.
With the passage of time these layers become thick and hard to be removed an especially in tube that impedes flow of water and blocks it.
Doctors warn
Ahmad Yasser, a nephrologist, warns of drinking water with high rate of calcium that could lead to kidney stone.
Absorption of high rates could lead to the forming of kidney stones. High rates of calcium make water tasteless and implausible, according to the doctor.
Over the last period, Yasser received 25 patients from different ages suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and kidney stones owing to drinking water having high rates of calcium.
The doctor warns against drinking such water, it should be “chlorinated, boiled and desalinated, before drinking notably the one bought from tankers.”
Sometimes, water pumping coincides with power outage; this leaves a large number of residents with no water for days. In this case, a number of people are compelled to buy water from tankers whose origin could not be verified.
In Qamishli, there is a number of water stations the most notable is the one located in the village of Navkor, close to al-Hilaliyah, western Qamishli, the Aouja station in the al-Sina’a neighborhood (industrial zone), Jaghjagh station in northern city and the Safan station in Derik (al-Malikiyah) in far east whose water is channeled into the Aouja station and eventually into the city.
No problem!
In a lab affiliated with Water Directorate of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in the city of Qamishli which is responsible for pumping water to the city, chemist Fahim Hussein affirmed the rate of calcium in the water pumped to residents “runs within Syrian standards in line with the international standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).”
Hussein indicated that the rate of calcium according to Syrian standards is 500 milligrams in a liter of water while a liter of water taken from Qamishli wells does not exceed 300 milligrams. However, in the Safan station, the rates of calcium are lesser.
The labs tests water once a year, hence, water could undergo changes, according to the chemist who did not discourse on the issue.
Regarding complaints made by people about the high rates of calcium, Hussein said there is none a well whose water is undrinkable in the city adding; in case rates of calcium increase a milligram they refrain from using such water.
However, Rozan Abdullah, a food engineer, told North Press that rates of calcium are high in the water based on a test she made at home. Rozan warned of using such water that could lead to kidney stones or inflammation of the urinary tract.
However, Farha Ahmad from the city of Qamishli said her children used to complain of stomachaches. The doctor said the reason lies in drinking water having high rates of calcium.
Farha added, she cleans the electric kettle every two days. However after a couple of months the electric kettle becomes stockpiled with calcium and she “throws it into the trash can.”
In the Antariyah neighborhood, Farida Hamo, 75, installed a water filter at home two years ago.
Farida said the doctor recommended her to drink mineral water, however, buying water is expensive that adds more burdens to the family. Eventually, the family had installed a water filter to avoid calcium and impurities.
Hamo indicated that just two days after it was installed, the filter stopped as calcium stockpiled it, “This calcium, before installing the water filter, was channeling into our bodies.”