Islamabad: A quarterly analysis of bottled drinking water has found 29 out of 230 tested brands to be below the required quality standards, raising concerns about the safety of commercially available bottled water in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the analytical report, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), on the direction of the Government of Pakistan, regularly monitors the quality of commercially available bottled and packaged drinking water on a quarterly basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the April-to-June 2026 quarter, samples of 230 bottled water brands were collected from 20 cities across the country. The samples were subsequently analyzed in laboratories according to the standards recommended by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The laboratory analysis found that 29 of the 230 tested brands failed to meet the required standards for drinking water. Some of the samples were found to be contaminated with harmful microorganisms, making them potentially unsafe for human consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report highlighted bacterial contamination as one of the major concerns. According to PCRWR, samples from 22 brands were found to contain microbiological contamination. The council stated that these brands were unsafe for drinking because of the presence of microorganisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The analysis also identified concerns regarding the chemical composition of some bottled water brands. Samples from nine brands were found to contain sodium at levels higher than the prescribed limit. In addition, four brands were found to have total dissolved solids (TDS) above the permitted level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sodium and TDS are among the parameters used to assess the quality and composition of drinking water. While naturally occurring minerals can be present in drinking water, levels beyond the applicable standards can raise concerns about suitability for consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The findings underline the importance of regular monitoring of bottled water, particularly because consumers often purchase packaged water on the assumption that it is safe and meets government quality standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PCRWR conducts periodic assessments of bottled water available in the Pakistani market to identify brands that fail to meet established safety requirements. Such monitoring is intended to help protect consumers and encourage manufacturers to comply with national drinking-water standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest findings also highlight the importance of proper manufacturing, filtration, storage and distribution practices. Microbial contamination can occur at different stages if adequate hygiene and quality-control measures are not maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, representatives of some companies whose brands were identified in the report have disputed the findings. Company spokespersons have claimed that their water brands meet the required quality standards. They said they would approach the relevant government authorities and request that the record be reviewed and corrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companies\u2019 response indicates that there may be disagreements over individual test results or the circumstances under which particular samples were collected and analyzed. Further clarification from the relevant authorities and companies could therefore determine whether the findings remain unchanged following any review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report nevertheless serves as a warning for consumers and highlights the need for stronger enforcement of bottled-water quality standards. With packaged drinking water widely consumed in cities, contamination or excessive levels of certain substances can create significant public-health concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers generally rely on bottled water as a safer alternative when the quality of tap water is uncertain. The discovery of multiple brands failing laboratory tests therefore raises questions about quality assurance throughout the bottled-water industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government and relevant regulatory authorities are expected to continue monitoring the market and taking appropriate action against brands that fail to meet prescribed standards. Regular testing, transparent publication of results and effective enforcement can help ensure that bottled drinking water sold to the public is safe and compliant with national requirements.
Pak Souch Media Group
Daily Pak Souch Newspaper \u2013 Daily Pak Special Newspaper \u2013 Daily Pak Today Newspaper
Head Office
Ayub Gate Shaikh Muhalla Near Rabbania Masjid Sukkur
Karachi Office
Office No. 1901-B, 19th Floor Saima Trade Tower (B) Block I.I Chandigarh Road Near Jung Press, Shaheen Complex & National Museum of Pakistan Karachi Sindh Pakistan.
Contact
03009319022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad: A quarterly analysis of bottled drinking water has found 29 out of 230 tested brands to be below the required quality standards, raising concerns..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018.png",800,927,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018-259x300.png",259,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018-768x890.png",768,890,true],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018.png",800,927,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018.png",800,927,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11111-2026-08-23T121226.018.png",800,927,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Pakistan<\/a>","tag_info":"Pakistan","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12301,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12299\/revisions\/12301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}