11 brands of bottled water in Pakistan declared UNSAFE

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 11 brands of bottled water as unsafe for human consumption, as per comparison of test results with permissible limits of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

A water monitoring report for the last quarter (July to September, 2020) issued on Thursday revealed that five brands (i.e. Blue Plus, Vitella, Sunlay, Aqua King and Elayn Plus) were unsafe due to presence of higher levels of sodium.

Two brands (i.e. Chenab and Aqua Star) were found unsafe due to presence of low level of pH. Three brands (i.e. Care Life, Pure Nature and Elayn Plus) were found unsafe due to presence of high level of arsenic.

Three brands (i.e. Nurturmil Water, Royal Pure Life and Elayn Plus) were found microbiologically contaminated and thus were unsafe for drinking.

The government through Ministry of Science and Technology has assigned the task to PCRWR for quarterly monitoring of bottled/mineral water brands and publicize the results in the best interest of public health.

PCRWR collected 125 samples of mineral/bottled water brands from Islamabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Dera Ghazi Khan, Peshawar, Sahiwal, Multan, Faisalabad, Karachi, Bahawalpur, Tando Jam, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad and Lahore for monitoring of bottled water.

The detailed report is available on PCRWR website.