Bottled water crisis in K-P as 40% found unfit for human consumption

In a startling revelation, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority has declared that nearly 40 per cent of bottled water samples collected from across the province were substandard and unfit for human consumption. The findings emerged following the completion of the Authority’s first-ever province-wide bottled water testing campaign.

According to the official report, a total of 156 bottled water samples of varying sizes, 19-litre, 1.5-litre, 500ml, and 300ml, were tested at the newly established Provincial Food Testing Laboratory and Centre for Research. Out of these, 59.61 per cent were deemed satisfactory, while 40.39 per cent failed to meet the quality benchmarks set by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority.

Director General of Food Safety and Halal Food Authority, Wasif Saeed, briefed Provincial Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru on the results of the campaign. He further disclosed that 56 water source samples were also examined, with 27 passing the quality test and 29 declared substandard.

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The report highlighted grave concerns, revealing that 61 bottled water samples contained hazardous microbial contamination, including Coliform, Fecal Coliform, E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, two samples contained harmful chemical components. Both findings, the DG warned, posed serious risks to public health.

The data further showed that K-P’s 143 active water plants collectively produce an average of 419,000 litres of bottled water daily. Alarmingly, more than 117,000 litres of this production was found to be substandard during the testing period, which spanned from August 23 to September 19.

In the next phase, the Authority will expand its campaign to test water filtration plants and residential water sources across the province to safeguard public consumption.

The DG informed the minister that heavy fines had been imposed on companies whose samples were found unfit. The Authority also issued recall directives to seize and discard substandard stock from the market. Furthermore, production at the offending plants was suspended until corrective measures were adopted and fresh samples cleared quality tests.

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Toru welcomed the campaign’s findings, describing them as a milestone in protecting consumer rights. He remarked that, for the first time, K-P had launched such a comprehensive testing campaign thanks to the establishment of the Provincial Food Testing Laboratory.

“On the directives of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, we have initiated large-scale testing drives of food and beverages to raise the standards of production and ensure compliance,” he said.

Vowing stern action against violators, the minister added: “We will eliminate substandard and hazardous food items and ensure quality food across the province. By ensuring safe food, we will ultimately empty the hospitals.”

He further assured that the government was putting in place a robust food testing regime not only to safeguard public health but also to support legitimate businesses in improving their products in line with national and international standards.