Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 12 mineral water brands in the country as unsafe for human consumption.
According to the monitoring report of PCRWR, samples of 108 mineral water brands were gathered from the markets of Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot, and Tando Jam.
After testing all the samples against 24 water quality parameters, 12 brands turned out to be chemically unsafe which do 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.
- Ziran
- MM Pure
- Blue Spring
- Aqua Best
- Blue Plus
- Alpha 7 star
- YK Pure
- Leven Star
- Dista Water
- DJOUR
- Hibba
- Chenab
Ziran, MM Pure, Blue Spring, Aqua Best, Blue Plus, Alpha 7 star, YK Pure, Leven Star, and Hibba contain exceedingly high quantities of sodium that is causing hypertension in public.
MM Pure and Blue Spring also contain high proportions of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which can result in cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, and typhoid while Chenab has a pH level of less than 6.5.
Meanwhile, Dista Water and DJOUR have bacteriological constituents greater than the safe and acceptable limit that is 0/100 ml, making both the brands microbiologically unsafe for drinking as well.
