Safe for consumption: BZU launches mineral water plant for residents of Multan

MULTAN:

A mineral water plant was launched at the Department of Food Sciences and Technology at Bahauddin Zakariya University on Monday

BZU Vice Chancellor Khawaja Alqama inaugurated the plant.

Addressing the ceremony, he said safe drinking water was scarce and the installation of a mineral water plant at the university was an initiative meant to meet water shortage.

He said the plant would provide safe drinking water to residents of the university as well as the general public.

Department head Dr Saeed Akhtar highlighted the importance of setting up such a plant. He said the department had received research grant of Rs29 million from various donor agencies since its inception five years ago.

He added that the department had set up laboratories and state-of-the art classrooms. He said that in a recent research conducted by the department, it was found that 90 per cent of water samples collected from various points were unfit for drinking according to standards set by the WHO.

He said students also collected several samples from across south Punjab and found that 92 per cent samples were unsafe for drinking water.

He said in Multan, 90 per cent of the samples collected were also found unsafe. He said that with a population of 5 million, it was important to supply safe water to residents of Multan. He said the plant had a production capacity of 2,000 litres an hour.

The water manufactured at the plant would be sent to the market after microbial and physicochemical examination at the department’s laboratories.

The inauguration ceremony attracted 700 business men from all over south Punjab, including executives of the ten chambers of commerce and industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2014.