Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has seized as many as 222 bottled drinking water plants operating without the authority's license in different cities during the last six month. Director General PSQCA Engineer Muhammad Khalid Siddiq said the national standard authority has launched crackdown against illegal companies, aimed at ensuring availability of quality food stuffs to the citizens in local markets.
During the raids conducted in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Karachi, the authority's team conducted raids on 753 units of which 222 units were found illegal; the stocks of the plants were sealed on the spot as per provisions of PSQCA Act 1996 act and conformity assessment rules 2011. Siddiq said that meetings are being held with stakeholders and mass awareness drive has been initiated to stop illegal bottled drinking water plants from operating and the surveillance teams are out to trace illegal manufacturers of drinking water and strict action would be taken against the companies if they were found selling substandard water.