Surendra Kumar, a resident of posh Banjara Hills, decided not to compromise on his family’s health, eschewing the unreliable, possibly unhygienic water supplied through municipal taps for packaged drinking water. Confident that he had bought five litres of the purest drinking water available, he found instead, to his horror, that the container was contaminated with fungus, mould and bacterial colonies. ?
“I bought the 5 litre bottle of Bisleri mineral water on July 15 from Road?No.10, Banjara Hills. The?date of production is July 7, 2010 with the code number 8906017290071. We were shocked to find?fungus formation at one corner of the jar. There were also many dirty particles. I wonder whether we are paying money for ill health. I made a call to Bisleri-Habsiguda office and they informed to their?franchisee Gautami Industries,” Surendra told this paper.
Surendra is not alone — the packaged water industry bears testimony to the droves, who blindly believe that a sealed, branded bottle of water is always potable. But, even as leading brands in super-stringent consumer markets like the USA and the UK often fall far short of regulatory standards, here in India, awareness about Central guidelines is increasing. The Natural Resources Defence Council, an?environment action group in the USA, clearly states that “no one should assume that just because he or she purchases water in a bottle that it is?necessarily any better regulated, purer, or safer than most tap?water.”
For water to be fit to drink, it must pass strict physical, chemical and biological tests. Health experts say, physically, water must be clear, free of turbidity and with total dissolved solids not exceeding half a gram?per litre of water. It should be free of harmful?chemicals and generally available elements present should be within prescribed limits.
And when it comes to the all-important biological?test, drinking water should be free of all pathogens particularly?those that come out of human waste.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Indian standards has de-licensed several packaged?drinking water brands after laboratory tests proved they failed to maintain prescribed standards.
Members of the gullible public though, are happy to pay up to 400 times more on packaged water than municipal water believing they are investing in ‘safety’. In Hyderabad for instance, the water board collects Rs 325 for 5,000 litres of “pure and safe” drinking water, while the equivalent quantity of packaged drinking water costs a whopping Rs 75,000.
“Only on Thursday the United Nations declared that safe and pure?drinking water is a basic human right. Whether our water comes from a?municipal tap or a bottle from a leading manufacturer, we have every?right to know how safe it is to drink,” points out senior advocate A.K.?Basha.
GHMC senior biologist Balaji Raju says, “Water supplied through?municipal taps is safe unless there is some contamination between the?source and supply points. The same holds good for packaged drinking?water. There are stringent rules on quality of drinking water and they?are equally applicable for packaged drinking water and water supplied?through taps.” Interestingly, while packaged drinking water samples are tested at?random and occasionally, municipal water undergoes hundreds of tests?at several points every day.
Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards suggest that before?purchasing a packaged drinking water bottle, one should check the?manufacture date, the bottle for any leaks and ensure that the tamper?proof seal is intact.
Physical examination of the water can or bottle will reveal foreign bodies, if any.
Since packaged drinking water comes under the purview of the Food?Adulteration Act, affected consumers can seek legal action against,?including compensation from, the manufacturer. They can lodge?a complaint with the Food and Sanitation wing of the local municipal?authority, with the Bureau of Indian Standards or with the local police.
With the reassuring news that the police have finally acted against municipal and water board officials, holding them responsible for the last year’s cholera?deaths in the Bholakpur area of the city, consumers hope that the?erring and unscrupulous manufactures of packaged drinking water will?also be held accountable if they don’t adhere to the high quality water standards fixed by the Centre.