Water wells in the country are contaminated with bacteria that can cause people who have been exposed to high concentrations of the bacteria to contract diseases or infections, a researcher at the UAE University told The Gulf Today. Dr Rawya Kendi, who is from the biology department at the university, said studies carried out on wells in different parts of the country revealed that the bacteria can survive in the intestines of both man and animal. The study, which analysed samples from different regions in Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Dubai, found high concentrations of such bacteria in the water. She explained that the initial data from the study also showed that the quantity of the bacteria in these water wells exceeded the standard level of safe consumption, even for irrigation of crops. According to Dr Kendi, the presence of the bacteria in water well is an indication that there has been a contamination of animal or human excrement. Also, she noted that the presence of the bacteria points towards the possibility of other contaminants in the water such as insecticides and agricultural fertilisers. She pointed out that such contamination is a key factor in the spread of diseases, adding that anyone who has consumed the water could contract intestinal diseases. Dr Kendi said that bacteria, especially escherichia coli which is found in the lower intestine, is one of the most frequent causes of common bacterial infections.