ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Council of Water Resources (PCRWR) on Monday collected 109 bottled water brands to analyse the quality during the first quarter of the current year out of which 11 brands were found unsafe due to contamination.
According to the official sources, results of the quarterly monitoring report of bottled/mineral water are regularly disseminated through print/electronic media and the PCRWR website.
The report also sent to Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) commissioner, provincial chief secretaries and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) for taking appropriate legal action against sub-standard brands.
The PSQCA on the basis of quarterly report of the PCRWR takes action against the illegal/unlicensed bottled drinking water manufacturers and keeps close monitoring of its licensees (manufacturers of bottled drinking water) from time to time.
The PSQCA has a complete mechanism to monitor the quality of bottled drinking water and mineral water through the quarterly inspections of manufacturing units and market surveillance wherein the samples are also taken from open market and sent for testing in accordance with Pakistan standard.
The PSQCA has closed 87 bottled drinking water plants from August 2015 to November 2016 and filed cases against different manufacturers to control production/sale of sub-standard bottled drinking water in the country.
Hygienic condition of plants is also being monitored along with the quality control process and production while the PSQCA also checks bottled drinking water at import stage as per Pakistan Conformity Assessment Rules, 2011.
The PSQCA has planned to undertake awareness raising scheme through the print and electronic media for an enhanced awareness to instil quality culture in the country.
Quality oriented awareness is also carried out through the celebrations of World Standards Day and World Consumer Rights Day.
