Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources is abbreviated as PCRWR. The organization did research on bottled water consuming in Pakistan territory and the results are incalculably alarming. In Pakistan by 2009 there were about 63 bottled water brands in the market positioning them as Pakistan’s no. 1 mineral water. According to the research conducted by PCRWR among 63 the 33 brands declared unsafe for human consumption. This unsafe water has contained dangerous elements either on chemical parameters or microbiological parameters. By research 22 brands were found unsafe due to the bacteriological contamination & 14 were chemically contaminated.
The results are based on quarterly sampling of bottled water during January-March in the year 2009 and the samples were collected in January from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Karachi and Hyderabad. The brands with bacteriological contamination were Elan, Sprinkle, Legend, Alfa, Shahi Avisa, Miracle, Aab-e-Sehat, Keeper, Spring Fresh, DeAar, Asmo, Fresh Lay, Aqua One, Zinpa, Maza, Aspen, Piyass Plus, Pak Crystal, Classic, Aqua Save, Khyber Aqua and Aqua Water. The brands found chemically contaminated were Alfa, Max Fresh, Pak Crystal, Classic, Nation, Avion, Active, Clean Plus, Aqua Clean, Pacific, Cool, Bake Master, Isberg and Droplet. Three brands were found unsafe on both counts — Alfa, Pak Crystal and Classic. It is indeed alarming that bottled/ mineral water is sold at extremely high prices but is unfit for drinking.
One of major misconduct of some of these brands is when a brand was banned because of poor quality; it reappeared under a different label. On the other hand various improved water supply technologies have been developed by the modern world nations which included household connections, public standpipes, boreholes, protected dug-wells, protected springs and rainwater collections but in Pakistan all is in vain. In this situation various problems have arisen-increasing the number of terminal diseases like Hepatitis etc. For those who can afford to avoid this unclean drinking water, bottled water is the only solution.
The 30 brands declared safe are Gourmet, Berg, Nectar, Nestle, Aquafina, Ripple, Vey, Sparkletts, First Water, Snow Mountain, Pakola Vital, Meme, Kinley, Best Water, Buxton, Culligan, Blue Gold, Better Life, Aqua Link, Natural, Fairmount, Sufi, Unipak Healthy Life, Voila, Pak Pure, Snow Cape, Hamaliyan, Kinza, Golden and Aqua Hygenic. For the interest of the common readers, it may be added here that MNCs engaged in bottled water business are very powerful in our country where there is little room for the rule of law.
No comments:
Post a Comment