Not all water purification tablets are the same
A tablet that costs a little less can cost a great deal more. Genuine Aquatabs are certified, precisely made, and trusted by the largest relief agencies in the world. A cheap, unregulated tablet may look similar and save a few rupees, yet you cannot know what is in it, whether the dose is right, or whether it works at all. When the water is for your family to drink, that is not a risk worth taking. Here is what stands behind the genuine product, and how to be sure the tablets you buy are the real thing.
The certifications behind the genuine tablet
These are independent standards, checked by others rather than claims we make about ourselves. They are the reason Aquatabs is trusted for something as important as the water a family drinks.
Genuine against cheap, what you are really choosing
Genuine, certified Aquatabs
- A precise, consistent dose in every tablet, made to a pharmaceutical standard
- Independently certified, and used by relief agencies in more than a hundred and sixty countries
- A clear batch and expiry, and an authorised line from the maker since 2008
- It dissolves and works within the time the pack states, leaving water safe to drink
A cheap, unregulated tablet
- An unknown strength, so it may not kill the organisms that cause disease
- No certification and no traceability, and often no clear expiry
- A tablet that fails quietly is worse than none, you drink unsafe water believing it is clean
- A saving of a few rupees against the cost of typhoid, hepatitis, or a hospital visit
The bigger risk, a tablet used wrong
The danger of buying water tablets on price alone is not only whether the tablet is genuine. It is that a tablet makes water safe only when the right size is used, in the right amount, for the right time. Sold fast and cheap with no guidance, it is easy to drop a small drinking tablet into a whole tank, or a swimming pool, where it does almost nothing, or to use far too few, and the water looks treated when it is not. A family drinks it believing it is safe.
This is why the size and the dose matter as much as the tablet itself. Our range is matched to the job, a small tablet for a glass or a bottle, a larger one for a tank, a different product again for a pool or a farm, and our water calculator works out the amount from the volume you are treating. That guidance is the whole difference between water that is treated and water that is only meant to be. It is the part most sellers leave out, and it is the part that keeps your family safe.
The right tablet for the right water
A tablet makes water safe only when its size matches the water being treated and the dose in every litre is the tested one. This is where a cheap tablet quietly falls short, and it is easy to see once it is set out plainly.
| What matters | Genuine Aquatabs | A tablet chosen on price alone |
|---|---|---|
| Matched to the water | A different tablet for each volume, from a single glass to a jug, a 500 litre tank, and a farm supply. | Often one or two sizes sold for every use, so a large tank is under treated or a glass is over treated. |
| The dose in every litre | Each tablet is set to the tested dose for the litres it names, so every litre carries the guard it needs. | The same weight of tablet is sometimes spread across far more water, which thins the chlorine in each litre. |
| Knowing how many to use | A free water calculator works out the exact number from the size of your tank or drum. | You are left to guess, and a wrong guess does not show in the water. |
| What the pack tells you | The size, the litres it treats, the maker in Ireland, and the expiry are printed plainly. | The volume it treats and where it was made are often vague or missing. |
The genuine range and the water calculator exist so the size and the dose are never a guess.
It is your family's drinking water. It is not the place to gamble on a tablet that might not work.
The difference in price between a genuine tablet and a cheap one is small, a few rupees on a pack that treats a great deal of water. The difference in what they protect is not small at all. A waterborne illness costs far more than the saving, in medicine, in lost days of work, and in worry. Genuine Aquatabs are the affordable choice once the true cost is counted.
What it costs to make water safe
A pack can look dear on the shelf, but genuine Aquatabs treat exactly the volume they are rated for. Here is what it costs to make a thousand litres of water safe, the bigger the tablet, the less it costs.
| Tablet | One tablet treats | A pack treats | Cost per 1,000 litres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquatabs 33mg | 10 litres | 2,400 litres | Rs 800 |
| Aquatabs 67mg | 20 litres | 4,800 litres | Rs 600 |
| Aquatabs 1.7g | 500 litres | 50,000 litres | Rs 80 |
| Aquatabs 8.68g | 2,500 litres | 150,000 litres | Rs 67 |
A cheap loose tablet can cost a little less on the shelf, but its dose is not guaranteed and much of what is sold is counterfeit or past its date, so it treats far less water than it claims, and some of that water is not truly safe. Measured against the water you can actually trust, genuine Aquatabs are the cheaper choice, and the safe one.
How to be sure your Aquatabs are genuine
What the genuine tablet looks like
A real Aquatabs tablet is white and odourless, and it effervesces the moment it enters water, dissolving completely clear within minutes. It is supplied in a tamper evident, foil backed strip that carries a batch code and a clear expiry date.
The signs of a counterfeit
Treat with caution any tablet with a greyish or blue tint, crumbly edges, or a strong chemical smell. Blurry printing, spelling mistakes, and loose or unsealed packets are warning signs on the packaging, and a fake tablet may sink without fizzing or leave a heavy residue.
The marks of the real product
Genuine Aquatabs are made by Medentech in Ireland, part of the Kersia Group, and the active ingredient is sodium troclosene, also written as NaDCC. The authentic product carries recognised standards, including NSF certification, United States EPA registration, and approval by the World Health Organization, and every strip and tub shows a batch code and an expiry date.
How to be sure
Buy from the authorised distributor. Mirza Traders has been the sole importer and authorised distributor in Pakistan since 2008, so the product comes through the official channel and is stored as it should be. Check the batch code and the expiry date, be wary of a price far below the market, and if you are ever unsure, send us the details on WhatsApp and we will help you confirm it is genuine.