I have had several arguments with my friends and colleagues in Dubai when i try to explain to them that tap water in Dubai is potable. In fact its a law that if government is providing tap water it has to be potable.
"In this region, there is a stigma attached in using municipality water or tap water. But did you know that most bottled water produced in the UAE is from a government or municipality source. So if it says 'bottled water', then it is definitely from municipality source. Therefore, you are already drinking filtered water. And this water is very safe."
This is a very interesting and eye opening article in Dubai. And hopefully people will understand the damage the plastic from the bottles is doing to our planet. If one cannot or doesn't want to drink the water at least they can use it for cooking, i have seen people using bottle water even for cooking.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai/no-more-bottles-khaleej-times-pledges-to-use-filtered-water-