Illegal bottled water business is thriving in the country, as the government has failed to implement the relevant laws to curb the production of bottled water by the unregistered companies, industry sources said on Saturday.
Expressing concern over mushroom growth of illegal water (mineral) plants, they added most of these companies had flooded the markets with contaminated bottled water, causing water-borne diseases, including gastro-enteritis, cholera and hepatitis.
They said the unregistered companies deceived the customers by selling their "products" in the bottles looking like the popular and registered brands of bottled water, thus earning huge profits.
Industry sources further claimed that some bottled water suppliers had also started illegal businesses under the "umbrella" of registered companies, and added that these suppliers sold these illegal products in the market at lower rates than of the original ones.
They stressed upon the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) to issue the official list of the legal bottled water brands to save the customers from using unhygienic bottled water.
They said there were three types of bottled potable water in the market, including mineral water, which came from natural springs, reverse osmosis water (ROW) and filtered water.
Only three major registered companies in the country were providing the mineral water, whereas all other registered companies produced ROW, they added. "Every single unregistered factory produces unfiltered or filtered water at cheaper price labelled with ingredients of the mineral water on bottles," they said.
"The increasing production of counterfeit and substandard bottled water has put a negative impact on the sales of the good quality products in the market," a leading bottled water producer said. He said that PSQCA had failed to implement the relevant and curb the sale of illegal water across the country.
Criticising the PSQCA's apathy, he said that this institution had only warned the illegal bottled water producers through advertisements. "The illegal bottled water is contaminated and is hazardous for human health, which should be banned in the larger interest of the public," he said.
PSQCA has announced to punish the illegal bottled water producer with Rs 50, 000 fine and one-year imprisonment, he said and added that this warning could not been witnessed practically implemented since 2001.
The bottled water business first was introduced in 1990, as there were only eight brands in the market, which provided the consumers with pure natural mineral water, he informed. "No efforts have been made for proper implementation of law to check the rapid growth of illegal manufacturing and production of daily consumer goods by the, the PSQCA official said.
He said that due to insufficient staff at PSQCA, its laws could not be implemented, however suggesting that fresh staff recruitment will help control the illegal business of consumers' products in the country.