Drops to drink

When we pick up a bottle of water, most of us are confident that we are guzzling down liquid that is safe and healthy to consume. It appears we should not be so sure. According to research conducted by the Pakistan Council of Research for Water Resources, 13 leading brands selling mineral water have been found to be marketing to consumers water that is contaminated by chemical or biological matter. The situation arises from the fact that we have less and less potable water to drink in our country. Resources that were previously safe and free of contamination have dried up or become so polluted that those obtaining water from them face risk of sickness with each mouthful that they take in. This is true of tap water in most major cities, water from streams or rivers, water from wells and also other sources. The result is an increased demand for bottled water which we hope will protect us from the many water borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery that afflict people across the country. Even those on limited budgets now attempt to buy their water in bottles.

There are two facets to this. One is the shortage of safe water from natural sources from which it had been accessible for decades; recent studies from the World Bank have shown that nearly 35 percent of Pakistan’s population does not have access to safe drinking water. This is a problem that has an impact on the lives of millions and needs to be looked into. After all, only a minority can afford to buy water. The fact that it is being sold is also an indication of growing consumerism affecting the world and our country. The other aspect is the fact that there are so few standards to protect buyers no matter what they purchase. This service is a rarity. In most cases, we do not know the quality of what we are buying, whether it is milk, meat or other consumable material and this puts us at immense risk each day of our lives. More needs to be done to protect consumers. The bodies responsible need to explore this for people everywhere in the country. There is too little being done to ensure that money is being spent on substances of value, rather than those than can endanger their lives.