Maharashtra set to make your packaged water safe

The government of Maharashtra is planning to regulate packaged water sold by local brands by introducing some guidelines, with the intention of providing safe drinking water to the citizens. Currently, local water brands do not compulsorily follow guidelines of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and hence a few MLAs pointed out that packaged water is not entirely safe for consumption.

MLAs Harshwardhan Sakpal, Vijay Vadettiwar, Ameen Patel, Aslam Sheikh raised the issue on Tuesday in the Assembly over the sale of packaged drinking water that is not safe. They also pointed out that small projects were coming up in rural areas that do not follow BIS norms and are not controlled by the state government. The MLAs pleaded that the government take measures, as the packaged water being sold is not up to the mark and thus not safe for human consumption. The packaged drinking water is even sold in plastic pouches, the quality of which is not guaranteed.

Taking note of the MLAs’ concern, Food and Drug Administration minister Girsh Bapat assured that the state would bring new guidelines within six months to control the local brands. “The state will have its own law to ensure that the potable water is sold in packages, bottles and containers. We have written to the Centre to allow us to have our own guidelines for packaged drinking water,” Mr Bapat said.

The minister agreed that the BIS licence costs Rs 1 lakh and small companies do not acquire the licence as it is not mandatory. Also, some companies or small businessmen sell the water by merely making it hot and then cooling it down, he said.

As per BIS norms, packaged drinking water should be served in glass bottles or containers that are transparent and a chemical laboratory should be available with a chemist, the plant should be build on a space of 1,500 sq ft. Having a BIS licence also makes compulsory frequent water checks possible to maintain its quality, the minister added.