40% of bottled water declared unsafe for drinking in KP

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority has published shocking findings of its maiden province-wide bottled water testing campaign, indicating that about 40% of the samples were found unsafe and were certified as unfit for human consumption.

156 different-sized bottles of bottled water — ranging from 19-litre to 1.5-litre, 500ml and 300ml bottles — were analyzed at the recently opened Provincial Food Testing Laboratory and Research Centre. Out of these, 59.61% complied with quality standards, while 40.39% did not reach the standards defined by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

During the briefing to Provincial Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru, Authority Director General Wasif Saeed disclosed that 56 water source samples were also tested; 27 passed, while 29 were declared unsafe.

Hazardous contamination detected

The document highlighted severe health hazards, as 61 samples of bottled water contained microbial contamination such as Coliform, Fecal Coliform, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, two samples had dangerous chemicals. These pollutants, authorities cautioned, are serious hazards to public health.

According to the data of the Authority, 143 certified water plants of K-P make an average output of 419,000 litres per day, but over 117,000 litres were deemed substandard during the testing period from August 23 to September 19.

Second stage: filtration plants and households

The Food Authority stated that the drive will now be extended to water filtration plants and home sources to further protect consumers. Heavy penalties have already been meted out to firms whose products failed quality tests, their substandard stocks recalled and destroyed.

Manufacture at rogue plants has also been halted until corrective action has been taken and new samples have cleared laboratory tests.

Government’s position

Minister Zahir Shah Toru welcomed the move, saying it was a milestone in safeguarding consumer rights. He attributed Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s instructions for ordering large-scale food and beverage testing drives across the new provincial laboratory.

We are determined to eliminate substandard and unsafe products from the market. Through food safety, we will lighten the hospital burden and save public health,” the minister said.

He highlighted that the government’s stringent testing program is not just about health protection but also about assisting genuine companies in enhancing production quality in accordance with national and global standards.