In another round of testing “pure bottled water” brands, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 8 brands unfit for drinking. The samples were collected by PCRWR from several cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Multan, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Tandojam, Quetta, and Karachi to conduct the tests.
The authority found that the samples contained chemicals and microbiological contaminants that were detrimental to human health.
ALSO READ
Underground Water Levels Have Dropped by 90% in Most Cities of Punjab
Following brands were deemed unsafe for drinking by PCRWR after testing 110 samples;
ALSO READ
SC Orders PFA to Shutdown All Substandard Bottled Water Companies
PCRWR concluded that the samples contained following impurities;
High Arsenic level can cause dangerous skin diseases, birth defects, and multiple cancer types among others. Microbiological contamination causes Hepatitis, Cholera, Typhoid Diarrhoea, Dysentery etc.
The test results are part of the quarterly monitoring task that the government has assigned the PCRWR. PCRWR conducts tests on water samples every quarter of the year and these were for the January to March 2018 period.