Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in its first quarterly bottled water quality monitoring report for the current fiscal year 2022-23 issued here on Wednesday declared 17 brands as unsafe for human consumption due to microbial, chemical or both types of contamination.
For the quarter of the year 2022 (July to September),165 samples of mineral/bottled water brands were collected from 20 cities.
A comparison of test results with the bottled water quality standards of the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has revealed that 17 brands were unsafe for human consumption.
Nine brands (Andani Premium Drinking Water, Indus, Barsay, Best Natural, MFaris, Nest Pure Live, Volvo, Eltsen, Dhoom) were found to be unsafe due to the presence of higher levels of sodium.
Two brands (Pure Handsome Water, Aqua one) were found unsafe due to the presence of high level of Potassium than the permissible limit, while, seven brands (Nayab Pure Life, Indus, ECO, NEO, Blue plus, Aqua Bello, Freshino) were found microbiologically contaminated and thus were unsafe for drinking purpose.
The general public is encouraged to look at the detailed report to know about the status of the water quality of bottled water brands they
consume.—NNI