24 brands of bottled water found unsafe in Pakistan
174 samples of mineral/bottled water brands were collected from 21 cities
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) identified 24 brands of bottled water as unsafe for human consumption due to microbiological or chemical contamination.
The government, through the Ministry of Science and Technology, has assigned the task to the PCRWR for quarterly monitoring of bottled or mineral water brands and publicising the results in the interest of public health.
For the 1st quarter of the year 2023 (January to March), PCRWR collected 174 samples of mineral/bottled water brands from 21 cities.
Out of total of 174 samples, 24 brands were declared unsafe after testing as per quality standards of Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), a press release on Monday said.
Ten brands include, Natural Pure Life, Indus, Barsay, Pure Life, Aqua Sharav, Al Saeed Water Life, Blue Plus, Natural Punjab, Vivo Water, Best Natural) were found to be unsafe due to the presence of higher levels of sodium, one brand (Imperial Water) was found unsafe due to the presence of high level of TDS than the permissible limit.
Similarly, three brands including Imperial Water, Smart Water and Natural Punjab were found unsafe due to the presence of high levels of Potassium than the permissible limit, nine brands (Aqua Pack, Perfect Taste, Douro, Salsabeel, K&S, Al mena, Al shalal, Crystal water and Heavenly) were found contaminated with bacteria.
Two brands (Noble & Arfa) were found contaminated with high levels of Arsenic whereas one brand Eagles Blue was found contaminated with Nitrate.
The public can get a detailed report on the findings at PCRWR website www.pcrwr.gov.pk and to know about the status of water quality of bottled water brands they consume.