Is bottled water really safe?
For many families, bottled water is the trusted answer. The national tests tell a more complicated story. Every few months the water authority checks the brands on the shelves, and every few months some of them fail.
What the national tests found
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources tests bottled and mineral brands from cities across the country each quarter. In one recent round it checked 176 samples from twenty cities, and found many were not safe to drink.
Why a sealed bottle can still fail
A brand can fail because its source water is poor, because the filling is unregulated, or because bottles are refilled and sold as sealed. Once a bottle is opened, or refilled at home, there is nothing left in the water to protect it, so it can spoil again just like tank water.
And even a safe brand does not cover the home
You may drink a brand that passes, but you still cook, wash vegetables, brush your teeth, and make tea with the water from your tap. Buying enough bottled water for all of that, for a whole family, every day, is a cost few can carry. The water you cannot avoid using is the water worth making safe.
The surer path
Checking the water authority's list for your brand is worth doing. But the reliable answer is to make the water you already have safe, so all of it is protected, not only the bottle on the table. Clean the tank, keep a chlorine guard in the stored water, and the whole supply is covered.
See how to keep your home's water safeMake your whole supply safe
Find the right Aquatabs for your household and your tank.
Where these figures come from
The figures on this page come from the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, which tests bottled and mineral water brands each quarter and publishes the results. No brand is named here, because the list changes with every round of testing.