Yet again, the safety of bottled water in Pakistan has come under scrutiny, and yet again, it is the consumers who are left to suffer the consequences. The Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources has declared 28 brands unfit for human consumption, with samples showing dangerous levels of sodium, arsenic, potassium and bacterial contamination. These findings are an indictment of the regulatory failures that have allowed such brands to infiltrate the market unchecked.
How did these brands gain a foothold in the first place? The Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority is responsible for ensuring bottled water meets safety standards, but its oversight appears to be little more than a bureaucratic formality. The fact that these contaminated brands were freely available to consumers before being flagged suggests a complete lack of preemptive regulation. Testing should happen before products hit the market – not months or years after they have already been consumed by thousands. The consequences of this negligence cannot be overstated. Arsenic exposure is linked to cancer and organ damage, excessive sodium contributes to heart disease and hypertension, while bacterial contamination can trigger severe gastrointestinal illnesses. To learn that the very product meant to offer safety is itself a health hazard is nothing short of a betrayal.
The government’s standard response – a belated ban on unsafe brands – is reactionary at best and ineffective at worst. By the time such announcements are made, the damage is already done. What is needed is a complete overhaul of how bottled water is regulated. No brand should be allowed to operate without rigorous pre-market testing, and regular, unannounced checks must become the norm rather than the exception. Violators must face severe financial and legal repercussions, not mere warnings.
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