ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) is not ready to certify its findings about water quality in the federal capital despite the passage of almost three months ever since the results were made public in October last year, sources disclosed.

The situation has resulted in a standoff between the consumer groups and the council with one insisting for a certification and other refusing to do so. The sources claim that the minister for science and technology has even failed to resolve the dispute.

According to the PCRWR report, for which the consumer groups are demanding certification, 75 to 83 per cent of water samples taken from different parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi were not fit for human consumption due to presence of microbial content.

The PCRWR chief while announcing the findings had stated that faulty water distribution system, intermittent supply, leakage in supply pipes and pollution from sewerage pipes were the main causes of poor quality water in the twin cities.

Several consumer rights’ activists approached the PCRWR asking them to certify the report. However, in response to their request, the PCRWR informed them that the council was not in a position to certify the report. The activists say PCRWR is legally bound to certify the report.

The activists had wanted to use the certified copy for approaching the courts of law against the civic agencies responsible for the supply of water in the federal capital.

The refusal of the PCRWR to certify the report is hindrance in the way of seeking legal redressal of the issue.

Consumers Rights Commission of Pakistan has sought federal minister for science and technology Dr Attaur Rehman’s intervention in this connection who is learnt to have directed the PCRWR to certify the report, but the council is still not ready to give up its stubbornness.

CRCP’s Salaman Humayun said the PCRWR had adopted similar attitude over the report about the quality of bottled water and it was only after persuasion by Dr Atta that the report was certified.—Zahra Syed