The abuse of cologne as liquor amongst low-income workers has reached alarming proportions in Qatar, construction industry officials have warned.
The increase in its consumption is causing loss of productivity to companies and a variety of ailments among labourers, they said.
"Its use has reached epidemic proportions. Almost every week we end up terminating an abuser," said a human resource official managing 2,800 labourers.
Readily available in mega-marts and neighbourhood shops, suspicious-looking cologne bottles with virtually no labelling are bought by low-income workers for using the stuff as an alcohol substitute.
"What we do now is, issue a verbal warning followed by a written one. If a worker is caught again, we suspend him for 3-5 days. As a last resort we terminate the services of the individual in an attempt to maintain discipline in the workers' camp," the HR official said.
However, the abuse has become so widespread it does not even raise an eyebrow.
Yesterday afternoon, a group of three low-income workers was spotted in a hypermarket buying three bottles of a particular cologne brand.
"We will mix it with a soft drink and consume it," said a member of the group.
"It should be good for seven to eight people in our room. We use it for medicinal purposes," the worker said.
Cologne is a scented liquid made of alcohol and various fragrant oils.
An industry official, an environmental, safety and health manager for decades, said what concerned him the most was the long-term health ailments the abusers were developing.
"Its become so normal we keep sending them to the Hamad hospital. We've tried to be vigilant and raid their rooms but they will change bottles to make the "cologne drink" look like normal soda," the HSE official said.
"I know a lot of them are depressed, but they are buying themselves nothing but trouble," he added.
According to a general practitioner, Dr Intikhabuddin, the alcohol in cologne is not meant to be for human consumption and could be life threatening.
"There could be local hazards such as stomach ailments or long-term problems, including renal failure. This could even lead to death in some cases," he warned.
Access to alcohol in Qatar is strictly controlled through a permit system. Violators of alcohol rules are, in most cases, deported.
[Sidebar] "Questions over products"
In a disturbing development, suspicious-looking colognes largely used to make alcoholic drinks are labelled to have been made in Qatar. Following the "success" of a particular brand, which is claimed to be made in Lebanon and available at QR18 for a 500ml bottle, a locally-made product with almost the same name is now available in retail outlets. Just like the Lebanese-made cologne, the local product has no details on its bottle label except "Eau De Cologne" and "Guaranteed Quality". It is not clear what quality the manufacturer guarantees as opening the bottle which lacks even a nozzle brings out no fragrance but a strong smell of alcohol. The 250ml bottle is priced at QR9. Social activists have raised questions as to why such products, lacking proper labelling, are readily available in the shops, urging retailers to follow their moral obligation.
