ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Sanitary doctors in Astana assure that the quality of drinking water is not satisfactory, but they recommend checking the hardness of the water for people suffering from urolithiasis.

A Kazinform correspondent visited the Astana branch of the National Center of Expertise under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and learned how drinking water is being tested in the capital’s water supply system. 

According to laboratory specialist Rukiya Kumasheva, it is necessary to know the hardness of water while maintaining the “golden mean”, since not only very hard water can harm the body, but also water that does not contain calcium and magnesium salts.

“Water hardness is made up of calcium and magnesium salts. Too hard water leads to the formation of stones in the bladder and kidneys. Have you noticed scale on our kettles? This calcium and magnesium settle and a precipitate forms. But too soft water is also bad, because calcium and magnesium salts are our teeth and bones. This is especially important for children. The maximum permissible level is no more than 7. In our city water supply - up to 4-4.25. Our water is considered to be of medium hardness. Therefore, residents are trying to install filters to remove this harshness. In bottled water produced by our manufacturers, the hardness, on the contrary, is underestimated - 0.25-0.5. Water’s physiological value should be at least 1.5,” Rukiya Kumasheva told a Kazinform correspondent.

Sanitary doctors note that the quality of water in Astana is not satisfactory, but they recommend that residents who suffer from or are prone to urolithiasis install inexpensive filters at home.

“In the city of Astana, discrepancies occur only in areas where gusts occur, turbidity or color increases, there may be an odor, but there are no discrepancies in the chemical composition. The chemical composition may differ seasonally: when floods begin, the dry residue increases and hardness increases. And when this season ends, the water becomes better. There are a lot of rumors circulating that Astana has bad water. I want to say that it absolutely complies with the requirements of sanitary regulations. It seems to me that bottled water manufacturers are launching such a marketing ploy. But I advise those Astana residents who have problems with urolithiasis to remove water hardness. You also need to drink bottled water carefully,” concluded Rukia Kumasheva.

Note that testing water for hardness is the easiest test in the municipal hygiene department. It is done within 5 minutes using indicators and a special apparatus. The total hardness of water is determined on an automatic titrator device, with the following reagents first added to the water sample: ammonia buffer solution and a dark blue chrome indicator. And within a few minutes the device produces the result.

In general, in this drinking water laboratory, more than 40 indicators can be determined, such as total mineralization, calcium and magnesium content, fluorine, sulfates, chlorides, total iron, manganese, molybdenum, boron, residual amounts of pesticides, polyphosphates, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia , permanganate oxidation, heavy metal salts and so on. For these purposes, the laboratory is equipped with all the necessary equipment.

You can check the quality of water in all laboratories of the National Center of Expertise, which are available in every region of the country.

https://www.inform.kz/ru/kakuyu-vodu-p-yut-astanchane_a3287189