ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, provincial authorities have raised concerns about the safety of bottled water. More than two dozen brands have been banned from human consumption because they contain harmful microorganisms.
The Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has recently issued a warning that names 28 brands of bottled water that have not passed the safety tests.
Significant for the health of consumers, this is serious contamination. In tests conducted by the PCRWR on over 150 bottled water samples taken from different cities, the quality was compared against standards set by the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).
Unsafe Drinking Water Brands in Pakistan
| Brands | Contaminant |
|---|---|
| Miran Drinking Water | High Sodium, Bacterial Contamination |
| Pak Aqua | High Sodium |
| Jel Bottled Water | High Sodium |
| Neo | High Sodium, Bacterial Contamination |
| Aab-e-Dubai | High Sodium |
| Eltsen | High Sodium |
| Pure Water | High Sodium |
| Aqua Health | High Sodium |
| Oslo | High Sodium |
| More Plus | High Sodium |
| One Pure Drinking Water | High Arsenic |
| Indus | High Arsenic |
| Premium Safa Purified Water | High Arsenic |
| Orwell | High Arsenic |
| Natural Pure Life | High Arsenic |
| Hunza Utter Water | High Potassium |
| SS Water | Bacterial Contamination |
| Sip Sip Premium Drinking Water | Bacterial Contamination |
| D-Nova | Bacterial Contamination |
| Sky Rain | Bacterial Contamination |
| Dream Pure | Bacterial Contamination |
| Aqua Sharav Pure Drinking Water | Bacterial Contamination |
| Marvi | Bacterial Contamination |
| Ice Well | Bacterial Contamination |
| Akb Sky | Bacterial Contamination |
| Karakorum Spring Water | Bacterial Contamination |
| Essentia | Bacterial Contamination |
| Life Inn | Bacterial Contamination |
Excessive sodium levels, turbidity, pH imbalances, and others contaminated with bacteria render them unfit for human consumption, the report said.
Safe drinking water levels
| Contaminants | Maximum Safe Level |
| Lead | 0.01 mg/L (10 µg/L) |
| Arsenic | 0.01 mg/L (10 µg/L) |
| Nitrates | 10 mg/L of nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) |
| Fluoride | 0.5–1.5 mg/L |
| Chlorine | 0.2–0.5 mg/L |
| Pesticides | Trace levels (ppt) |
| pH Level | 6.5–8.5 |
| Turbidity | <1 NTU |
| Hardness | 60–120 mg/L |
| Chlorine Residual | 0.2–0.5 mg/L |
| Heavy Metals | Trace levels |
