•AMNA ADIL

"Bottled Water" means water that is intended for

human consumption and that is sealed in bottles or
other containers with no added ingredients except
that it may optionally contain safe and suitable
antimicrobial agents. Fluoride may be optionally
added within the limitations established.
There are three different denominations of
bottled water:
Natural Mineral Water – comes from a
named source, has a consistent mineral
composition and is untreated
Spring Water – comes from a named
source; may be subject to certain permitted
treatments
Bottled Drinking Water – any other
packaged water
Different brands of bottled water
Nestle pure life
Kinley
Aqua fina
Sparklet
Ramna
Sufi
Naimat
Niagra
Mineral plus etc
"Approved Source" means the source of
the water whether it be from a spring,
artesian well, drilled well, public or
community water system, or any other
source that has been inspected and the
water sampled, analyzed, and found of a
safe and sanitary quality with or without
treatment.
Fifty eight brands of mineral/bottled water
were collected from Islamabad, Rawalpindi,
Lahore, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Quetta and
Hyderabad to check bacteriological
contaminants in the  drinking water. Chemical
contaminants in drinking water such as
arsenic, fluoride and nitrate are discovered at
various locations. Arsenic contamination is
found in southern Punjab and central Sindh.
Contamination in drinking water is the
major cause of many serious water borne
diseases. According to an estimate, about
40% of the prevalent diseases are due to
contaminated water and about 250,000
children die each year due to waterborne
diseases.
Arsenic Contamination
The WHO and PSQCA have recommended
10 ppb as guideline values for Arsenic in
bottled water. Out of 58 brands, 21
mineral/bottled water brands were found
containing arsenic. Details of these brands
are given in Table.
Bacteriological Contamination
Six brands out of 58 were found containing
coliforms or fecal coliforms. Details of these brands
are given in Table.
Brands Containing Both Bacterial
and Chemical Contaminations

Five brands were found containing both types of

contaminants i.e. Chemical & Bacteriological. The
details of these brands are given in Table.
Profitable business
the production of bottled water is also considered
quite profitable.
It is estimated that a bottle of 1.5 litres has production
costs of PKR 12.51.
while it is sold for PKR 50.
It may be mentioned here that bottled mineral water is
the most lucrative high return and flourishing business
in the country. Numerous bottle manufacturers have
sprung up because of the large profit margins and
almost no government quality control of the industry.
33 million litres of consumption per annum
in 1999.
estimated the consumption for 2003, as 70
million litres or 0.5 litres per capita.
The bottled water market in Pakistan has
witnessed annual growth rates of 40
percent.
estimate a yearly consumption of about 2
litres per person bottled water.
Labeling of bottled water
Name of the source – both Natural Mineral
Water and Spring Water must be drawn from
a named source. The name of the source
must appear on the label in type at least 50%
bigger than any part of the trade description.
It is not permitted to market Natural Mineral
Water or Spring Water from any one source
under more than one trade description.
Chemical analysis – Natural Mineral
Water must have a consistent mineral
composition: this must appear on the label
in a standard format prescribed in the
regulations. Other waters may carry a
chemical analysis in the standard format if
their mineral composition is consistent.
Infant feeding – while it may be
permitted in some other European
countries, no reference to infant feeding is
currently permitted on bottled waters in
the UK.
Language of the label – all food and
drink, including bottled water, must be
labelled in a language easily understood by
the consumer.
Prohibited terms
Natural, Mineral and Spring – these words all
have specific meanings in the context of the
denominations of water to which they apply and
should therefore not be used in any other way.
Pure – the Food Standards Agency advises against
use of this word on bottled water.
Organic – no water may be called “organic” but
the agricultural land in the catchment area may have
organic approval.