TITLE:
Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Lebanon
AUTHORS:
Mark Saadeh, Gebran Karam
KEYWORDS:
Total Dissolved Solids, Total Coliform, Nitrate, Nitrite, Methemoglobinemia
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates around 1.5 million deaths can be prevented each year by implementing safe drinking water and sanitation services (WHO, September 2023), something which is severely lacking in the Middle East and notably Lebanon. As such, multiple alternate sources of drinking water are filling that void, including bottled, springs, wells and unlicensed vendors. Of the aforementioned, none rivals Lebanon’s emerging bottled water sector. Moreover, more than 70% of households rely on bottled water daily due to failing public water infrastructure and unsafe tap water (Statista). The quality of this purveyed water is therefore of great public concern, countered by only 42 or so licensed entities, grappling with several hundred unlicensed ones for the Lebanese market (Daou, 2016). In light of the lack of any semblance of legislative oversight in Lebanon, the aim of this article is to present a snapshot into the quality of numerous sources of drinking water. A total of 13 samples (11 bottled water brands and two municipal samples) were analyzed for physico-chemical as well as microbial properties. Said 13 samples were generally found to be compliant with international drinking water guidelines, save for two. It is hence recommended that all potable water sources undergo immediate comprehensive and continuous monitoring by relevant authorities.