Action against eight bottled water brands in Punjab

Published March 16, 2025 Updated March 16, 2025 12:07pm

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has sealed eight bottled water brand plants for being contaminated with dangerous levels of chemicals and bacteria unfit for human health.

This crackdown comes in the wake of water sample tests conducted by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The findingssaybottled water, often perceived as a safe alternative in a country plagued by water contamination, has itself become a health hazard.

Test results compared against the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority benchmarks revealed alarming levels of arsenic, microbiological and chemical contaminants, making these brands unfit for human consumption.

The PFA sealed SS Water and Pak Acqua RO Mineral Water in Sahiwal, Premium Safa Purified Water, Orwell, Natural Pure Life, and Life Inn Water Plant in Multan, Sky Rain in Faisalabad, and Iced Well in Sialkot.

PFA Director General Asim Javed said these plants will remain closed until they meet stringent corrective measures, including verified improvements in water quality, mandatory medical tests for workers, and documented filter replacements.

According to the PCRWR report, some of the contaminated brands contained dangerously high levels of sodium, arsenic, and potassium, while others were infested with harmful bacteria.

The potential health consequences range from gastrointestinal infections such as cholera to kidney disease, high blood pressure, nervous system disorders, and even cancer.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025

Must Read

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

The spectacle of the verbal spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was stark evidence of a tectonic shift in longstanding US foreign policy on Ukraine, Russia, Europe and Nato.

Opinion

Editorial

After the review
Updated 16 Mar, 2025

After the review

Should prepare economy for durable growth by attracting foreign private investments to boost productivity and exports.
Embracing crypto
16 Mar, 2025

Embracing crypto

IT seems a little prod was all it took for Pakistan to finally ‘embrace the future’. The Pakistan Crypto Council...
Fault lines
16 Mar, 2025

Fault lines

IT was a distressing spectacle, though a sadly predictable one. As the National Assembly took up for discussion the...
Revised solar policy
Updated 15 Mar, 2025

Revised solar policy

Criticism policy revisions misplaced as these will increase payback periods for consumers with oversized solar systems.
Toxic prejudice
15 Mar, 2025

Toxic prejudice

WITH far-right movements on the march across the world, it is no surprise that anti-Muslim bias is witnessing high...
Children in jails
15 Mar, 2025

Children in jails

PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to...