While most citizens are forced to buy bottled water due to the low quality of groundwater and piped water, a lot of companies are selling highly contaminated mineral water.
In this regard, a recent report by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 20 mineral water brands in the country as ‘unsafe’ for human consumption.
According to the PCRWR report, samples of 187 mineral water brands were gathered from the markets of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Badin, Sukkur, Loralai, Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi, Bahawalpur, Lahore, Gilgit, D.I. Khan, D.G.Khan, Multan and Tandojam.
After testing all the samples against 24 water quality parameters, 20 brands turned out to be chemically unsafe which did not meet the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).
Following are the mineral water brands which have been declared unsafe by the PCRWR.
MEZAN, Ab-e-Muskan, Refine, Pure Life, Ab-e-Hayat, Douro, Zimal, JEL, Safa Drinking Water, Sunlay, and Aqua King contained exceedingly high quantities of sodium that can cause hypertension.
While the quantity of sodium found in these brands ranged between 58-85 mg/L, the acceptable level of sodium in bottled water mandated by the PSQCA is 50 mg/L.
Pure Nature contained 23 µg/L arsenic, which is way higher than the PSQCA approved level for arsenic at 10 µg/L. The consumption of arsenic-contaminated water can cause cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
Zindagi Plus and Aqua Safe contained 13-15 mg/L potassium, which is more than the PSQCA mandated level of 10mg/L. The presence of high levels of potassium in water can cause chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hyperkalemia, shortness of breath, and heart failure.
Safi, Abe-Muskan, Ice Well, Natural Water, Top Up, Aqua Star contained bacteriological constituents greater than the safe and acceptable limit that is 0/100 ml, making these brands microbiologically unsafe for drinking as well.
The PCRWR report has also found that the quality of groundwater in these cities is decreasing rapidly due to biological contamination from human waste, chemical pollutants from industries, and agricultural inputs.
Moreover, the quality of piped water is causing serious water-borne disease because most of the pipes are laid in close proximity to sewerage lines or open drains.
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