The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 29 bottled and mineral water brands being sold across the country unsafe for human consumption and advised citizens to exercise caution when purchasing bottled water.
According to PCRWR’s latest quarterly report, 230 bottled water samples were tested from 20 major cities across the country, of which 29 brands failed to meet the prescribed quality standards.
The report stated that bacterial contamination was detected in 22 brands, describing it as the most significant issue affecting water quality. These brands include My Sial, Jeers Safe Life, Natural Pure Life, Natural Sip, Almeer, Al-Safa, Al-Shifa, Royal Fina, Aqua Nice Pure Life, Noor Aqua, Aqua Pure, Drink Well Pure Drinking Water, Imperial Pure Drinking Water, Zalmi, Deep Blue, Aab-e-Haram, Vital Sip, Hunza Alter Water, Rehydrate Drink Pure Water, Moya Mineral Water, Tynant Aqua and Aqua Pura Smart.
The report further revealed that nine brands contained sodium levels exceeding the prescribed limit of 50 parts per million (ppm). These include HR Water Healthy Life, A to Z Pure Bottled Drinking Water, Pure Drinking Water, Deep Blue Pure Drinking Water, Sip Nest Purified Drinking Water, Aab-e-Haram, Aqua Life Bottled Drinking Water, Water Drinkly and Alpha H2O.
According to PCRWR, some brands were also found to have total dissolved solids (TDS) levels above the permissible limit of 500 ppm, while certain brands were found to have violated more than one quality standard.
The council said the testing was conducted under a quarterly monitoring programme being carried out on the directives of the federal government. The programme aims to monitor the quality of bottled water available in the market and alert the public to potential health risks.
PCRWR has advised citizens to check the quality, authentic reports and relevant information about bottled water before purchasing it and to avoid consuming substandard water.
