19 brands of bottled water declared unsafe to drink

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources on Tuesday declared 19 brands of bottled and mineral water unsafe for human consumption due to microbiological or chemical contamination.

The government has mandated that PCRWR examine bottled and mineral water brands every quarter and make the data public to raise public awareness.

185 samples of different brands of bottled water were gathered from 21 cities between January and March.

Test findings were compared to the Pakistan guidelines and Quality Control Authority’s (PSQCA) bottled water quality guidelines, and the results showed that 19 brands were dangerous for human consumption because of chemical or microbiological contamination.

Higher amounts of salt were detected in six brands—Pure Life, Hensley Pure Water, Natural Pure Life, Klear, Am Mughal Pure Water, and Nero—while higher than allowed levels of totally dissolved solids (TDS) were detected in one brand—Nero.

Similarly, Cleana, Orwell, and Still were found unsafe due to the presence of a higher level of arsenic than the permissible limit. Moreover, Starlay, Al-Faris Water, Nestlo Healthy Water, Nesspure, Pure Life, Natural Pure Life, Nesspak, Geo Max Premium, Cleana, Splash, Karakorum, Heavenly, and 7 Bro were found contaminated with bacteria and thus were unsafe for drinking purposes, the PCRWR said in its report.

The public was advised to read the comprehensive report to learn more about the water quality status of the bottled water brands they frequently use.

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