KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has noted that under the existing laws at provincial and federal levels, removal of arsenic and fluoride were optional for bottled water firms and even multi-national companies were not required to treat and remove such chemicals, and directed the federal and the provincial governments to legislate on the matter in accordance with the standards set by of the World Health Organisation.

The SHC also ordered the director general of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) to continue the campaign against such companies, including taking criminal action and cancelling their licences accordingly.

The two-judge bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Amjad Ali Sahito was hearing a petition filed by Nestle Pakistan Limited, challenging the regulation of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Act, 2023 about the fees and permission of extracting subsoil water.

It noted that in compliance to the last order, DG SFA had filed a report about the ongoing campaign and submitted that 463 food units and RO plants had been inspected so far across the province.

Asks federal, provincial govts to legislate on the matter in accordance with WHO standards

The bench also said that as per the report of SFA, the authority issued licences to drinking water companies without inspection at the site and found 62 samples unfit for human consumption while products of 23 firms were also found unfit.

It is admitted fact that companies with low standards, operating under the licence of the SFA, are providing/selling sub-standard water in Sindh, it added.

The bench further observed that as per the report, under the existing laws at federal and provincial levels, arsenic and fluoride were optional and not mandatory for companies operating in the country and even multinational companies were not required to treat and remove such chemicals which can cause cancer and other serious ailments.

“Therefore, the Federation and province of Sindh are hereby directed to legislate laws in accordance with WHO standards, preferably within three months and submit a comprehensive report” it added.

It deplored that there was not a single nephrologist in public sector hospitals across the province who can run the affairs of dialysis units and issued related to kidneys and ordered the provincial government to create posts of various specialists including nephrologists.

An official of the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) also filed a report about constitution of a special committee to check quality of bottled water as well as the actions taken so far in the light of last court order.

Adjourning the hearing for a date to be fixed after eight weeks, the bench asked the PSQCA to proceed the matter in accordance with the law and file progress report at next hearing.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024