Bottled Water: A False Sense of Security

Ejaz

Good article. I am thinking of those who go for miles on foot just to get Water.

NHK

Ijaz,

You scared the living daylights out of me. I plan to vist Pakistan next month after many years) and was informed that i should use Nestle water and i will be ok, but now youare telling me that it does not serve its puorpose...i.e. causing dehydration.

So what should i do,?

Temporal,
PSQCA operates under the Ministry of Science and Technology and so does Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources, (PCRWR). It is the PCRWR that has the most elaborate and modern testing equipment. The tests were carried out by them and published on their website. Please see this link.

http://www.pcrwr.gov.pk/wq04_introduction.htm

No manafaturers carry the Logo of PSQCA. Even if they do it does not matter and the kickbacks are too tempting. It pays more to have a water bottling plant than a CNG Station.PSQCA consider PCRWR as a rival, infringing on their domain and turf.
The only bottle that can rate them is PCRWR. Lets see how long it will take it to become a nuisance like the PMDC and PEC.
My email is:

ijaz_gul@yahoo.com

Tahmed
People do develope some short term resistance but it all ends up in life expectancy and various sicknesses. Ultimately, there is no resistance.
Tablets are deriatives that oxygenate the water with chlorine etc.They kill aerobic bacteria and not the anaerobic. There is yet a third called faculative that thrives in eother condition. Viruses like Pratoza and crypstopodium need a very long contact time and are not killed by most of these tablets unless the exposure is prolonged.There is also the iron bacteria that comes alive on contact with air.

hamidm2
Boiling water removes the temporary hardness ie the calcium and magnesium which is good for the body. It also kills all bacteria and removes chlorine from water. At the same time, it concentrates the permanent hardness like the sulphates and chlorides and increases the concentration of arsenics and nitrites etc which are poison. Never boil your water in Pindi as the nitrites are very high. People in Lahore due to the high arsenic content should not boil their water.

Sorry, the plant at 502 workshop is a hotbed of bacterial activity. The filter beds are not optimised and the UV steriliser is ineffective.

I suggest that you drop two tea spoons of bleach liquid everytime you fill your underground tank. This will kill most bacteria and viruses. Thereafter, use a good kitchen filter like the GOLD Brand of So Safe. Make sure that the UV tube is made in USA and not Chinese. Just dont rely on these substandard plants. The only effective plants rae installed at the Army Public School for Boys and girls in LalKurti, but they may not allow you to fill.

As regards municipal lines, they pass through shit.

WARNING
By the way, Nestle Brand pure water or any water produces as pure (Reverse Osmosis) is harmful for kids as it carries too little sodium and kids may go in shock.

Cheerios

LEt me send this article to the head of Nestle in Pakistan. he`ll get shock waves. kya bat hai?

ijaz,

.... a few questions:

1. what about boiling water at home ? ..... a lot of people in pakistan do this
2. What about the ``clean`` water supplied by the government at some points ?... for example, there is a ``plant`` near 502 workshop in pindi? ...... is this for real? i know a lot of people who claim that this water is just as good as nestle....
3. Is it possible to put some stuff in your underground tank to treat well/city water and get rid of the more lethal stuff?

Ijaz: Interesting article. I read an article on bottled water in the US, and it appears that in fact tap water may in fact be a better bet: tap water comes from public purification plants which are routinely inspected by independent inspectors, while bottled water is checked much less frequently by independent inspectors.

I wonder how much resistance people develop to water-borne disease people develop in Pakistan. Living in countries with better quality of water, the antibodies that build this resistance are of course lost and so one needs to be careful for the first 3-4 weeks I think. I found boiled water was adequate. The place I worked at used to give travellers to developing countries water purification tablets (which I would carry, but never bothered to use).

ijaz:

…good article

1: does PSQCA (Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority) which is a member of geneva based ISO (International Standards Organsiation) tests and rates these bottled and mineral waters sold in Pakistan?
2: do these manufacturers carry the PSQCA logo?
3: is there another independent body that rates them?

rgds,

t

ps: i asked nazar for your email addy but he forwarded me your cell number…can you email me please? temporal3@gmail.com

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