LAHORE, Aug 18: Over 90 per cent brands of mineral water available in the market do not conform to any standard specifications and some of these do not contain minerals at all.

Most of the mineral water brands do not conform to any standard specifications because these contain ordinary filtered water bottled by unscrupulous elements for making easy money. The water of some brands could even be contaminated due to unscientific and unhygienic packing.

Natural mineral water has been defined in Pakistan Standards as the water which originates from the underground bearing strata and extracted for human consumption from natural or drilled resources and not derived from a municipal system or public water supply. Most of the bottled mineral water, however, is procured from the municipal water supply systems.

Disinfection is the only treatment allowed before bottling the natural water in hygienically sealed bottles prepared from food grade plastic. Mineral water is required to be bottled in aseptic atmosphere near its source without storing in an reservoir or passing through any pipes to eliminate chances of pollution.

The general public considers mineral water as a superior kind of drink necessary for a healthy living but the Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources experts are of the view that its regular use might deplete natural minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium nitrate, iron, magnesium, fluorides, chlorides, sulphates and carbonates from the human body leading to bone weaknesses and deformities in certain cases.

According to the research conducted by the council, the natural water contains more than 150 minerals but some popular mineral water brands have none due to excessive purification. The council experts describe these as dull water or soft water without minerals. Those consuming such mineral water are required to consume fruits and vegetables to overcome the mineral deficiency. Some of the brands are even unsafe for human consumption.

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority has collected nearly 70 samples of different brands of mineral markets available in the market recently. Around 60 samples have been found sub-standard on analysis. The authority has issued notices to 45 bottlers advising them to conform to its standard specifications.

Manufacture, stocking and sale of bottled drinking water and bottled mineral water without certification marks licence is prohibited under the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Act. But surveys conducted by the authority have revealed that only the bottlers of 17 brands have obtained certification marks licences.

Violation of the Pakistan Quality Standards is punishable by imprisonment for one year or a fine of Rs50,000 or both but the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority is finding the enforcement of the standards an uphill task because courts have not been specified for hearing the cases involving its standards and quality violations.