Dubai Municipality uses AI for faster home water testing: How residents can apply

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has announced a major advancement in its household water quality and safety testing system through the adoption of advanced artificial intelligence technologies for the early and accurate detection of bacterial contamination, including Legionella and E. coli. The water testing service, which is available through Dubai Municipality’s Central Laboratory, adopts the latest AI technologies to offer results in a substantially shorter timeframe, enabling immediate corrective action when required. In the announcement made by Dubai Municipality last month, Eng. Hind Mahmoud Ahmed, Director of the Dubai Central Laboratory Department at Dubai Municipality, said the move strengthens the emirate’s approach to proactive protection against public health risks. “The ongoing enhancement of our services is focused on accelerating testing, improving reliability, and supporting faster preventive action, reflecting our commitment to advancing Dubai’s public health ecosystem and contributing to its vision of becoming the world’s best city to live in,” she said. She added that by expanding the scope of household water quality testing and improving the speed and accuracy of results, Dubai Central Laboratory is helping provide an integrated monitoring system that protects residents, supports confidence in water safety, and reinforces Dubai’s position as a global benchmark for quality of life. Here is all you need to know about the service and how you can use it. Is the service available to residents? Yes, the service is available to individual residents, not just businesses or government entities. In a statement to Emirates 24|7, the municipality confirmed that residents can submit household water samples for testing. Does it only test drinking water? According to Dubai Municipality, the testing service covers a wide range of domestic and recreational water sources, including: Water tanks Taps Swimming pools Non-bottled drinking water How to apply for the water testing service Residents have two options: Apply through the Dubai Municipality website - https://hub.dm.gov.ae/link/servicesdetails?ServiceCode=3076 . Visit Dubai Central Laboratory in person. The laboratory is located in Karama. Once you apply for the service, you will need to collect a sterile sample container from Dubai Municipality, as ordinary bottles cannot be used. These sterile containers can also be delivered to you, if you would like to request for a courier service, which would need to be paid for separately. How much does the service cost? There is no single fixed fee for the service, as the cost depends on the type of testing you wish to get done. Dubai Municipality provides a table of fees, based on the test you wish to get done. The service allows for several tests apart from Legionella and E. coli, including for heavy metals, water hardness, pH levels and other water quality parameters. Some costs included in the fees are: coli and coliform bacteria (Quanti-Tray) - AED61 Total coliform and E. coli (membrane filtration) - AED104 Legionella (new AI-enabled MICA method) - AED314 Conventional Legionella test - AED400 Drinking water pH - AED42 Drinking water conductivity - AED42 Drinking water hardness - AED70 Drinking water (Iron, zinc, copper, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) - AED56 each The total amount will depend on the tests you apply for, as well as an AED20 Knowledge and Innovation fee. The results will be sent to you electronically and are completed within two to five days, depending on the tests you have requested for. The municipality also encouraged residents to reach out to them directly for inquiries: Dubai Municipality's Call Centre – 800 900 Dubai Central Laboratory’s Customer Happiness Centre – 04 302 7126 Email - DCLHappinessCenter@dm.gov.ae