Think before you drink: Dozens of water filtration plants sealed

Samples collected by Punjab Food Authority showed water was not potable

LAHORE: The bottled water available at every other general store and depot might not contain potable water, considering dozens of water filtration plants have been sealed recently by the Punjab Food Authority.

The PFA has also imposed fines on over two dozen water filtration plants during the current week. Moreover, water samples have also been collected for examination from nearly 76 such plants if different areas of the city.

This was said when PFA Director General Noorul Ameen Mengal, along with representatives of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) appeared before the court.

Running tests

The PCSIR official submitted a sealed report on the samples of milk and water taken from different manufacturing companies. He said samples from nine out of 11 packed milk companies were found to be of substandard quality, while samples from six bottled water companies failed during laboratory tests. On the apex court’s directives, PFA had launched a crackdown against water filtration shops in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala.

The PFA officials had so far collected ‘filtered’ water samples from over 42 plants in the provincial capital, 29 in Faisalabad, 15 in Rawalpindi and 11 in Gujranwala for chemical tests in laboratory.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed PFA to submit a comprehensive report on the quality of drinking water, packed and loose milk available in the market.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2016.