Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has directed a chartered accountant firm to conduct a forensic audit of a bottled mineral water brand, and directed the latter’s counsel, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, and representatives of other bottled water manufacturing companies to sit together and bring forth a viable plan to rationalise the purchase price of groundwater.
“The children of Pakistan will not have access to water if this situation continues.” The chief justice told Ahsan that the court wants to regulate groundwater extraction by every industry like it did with the cement industry.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that the companies selling water are paying the lowest price to obtain the natural resource as compared to the rest of the world.
Aitzaz Ahsan extended arguments to defend his client.
He is of the view that the business of companies selling bottled water differs from other industries as they extract groundwater and purify it before selling it.
Justice Ahsan noted that the company earned an average profit of Rs6bn from the bottled water business, but was unwilling to pay a rational price for extracting groundwater.
However, counsel Aitzaz Ahsan insisted that the amount quoted by the bench was not profit, but rather the company’s sale figures.
Chief Justice Nisar told the counsel that the court would order the government to waive the existing price of water (0.4 paisa per litre) as a charity if his client/company was not able to pay a rational price.
He ordered a forensic audit of the water company and appointed Kaukab Jamal Zubairi, an expert in auditing, brushing aside Aitzaz Ahsan’s reservations.
The counsel had insisted that the task be given to one of top four chartered accountancy firms, saying that a recent audit on the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI), conducted by Zubairi, contained grave factual errors.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has directed a chartered accountant firm to conduct a forensic audit of a bottled mineral water brand, and directed the latter’s counsel, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, and representatives of other bottled water manufacturing companies to sit together and bring forth a viable plan to rationalise the purchase price of groundwater.
“The children of Pakistan will not have access to water if this situation continues.” The chief justice told Ahsan that the court wants to regulate groundwater extraction by every industry like it did with the cement industry.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that the companies selling water are paying the lowest price to obtain the natural resource as compared to the rest of the world.
Aitzaz Ahsan extended arguments to defend his client.
He is of the view that the business of companies selling bottled water differs from other industries as they extract groundwater and purify it before selling it.
Justice Ahsan noted that the company earned an average profit of Rs6bn from the bottled water business, but was unwilling to pay a rational price for extracting groundwater.
However, counsel Aitzaz Ahsan insisted that the amount quoted by the bench was not profit, but rather the company’s sale figures.
Chief Justice Nisar told the counsel that the court would order the government to waive the existing price of water (0.4 paisa per litre) as a charity if his client/company was not able to pay a rational price.
He ordered a forensic audit of the water company and appointed Kaukab Jamal Zubairi, an expert in auditing, brushing aside Aitzaz Ahsan’s reservations.
The counsel had insisted that the task be given to one of top four chartered accountancy firms, saying that a recent audit on the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute (PKLI), conducted by Zubairi, contained grave factual errors.

In a cost-cutting measure, the Railway Board has decided to stop the supply of Rail Neer bottled water at its Rail Bhavan headquarters and asked officials to either bring water from home or drink the water of the recently-installed RO plants.
Rail Neer (mineral water) is a product of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) under the Ministry of Railways.
“Based on the above status, the competent authority has decided that the supply of bottled drinking water at Rail Bhavan would be stopped with immediate effect,” the circular said.
In fact, an internal note has also been sent to the department heads, asking them to stop the supply of outside food.
Now, the officials have been asked to cut down these expenses, the sources said.
Many staffers say that since the officers drink Rail Neer water, the drinking water tanks at the Rail Bhavan are not cleaned regularly.
If everyone starts drinking the RO water, its maintenance will be routinely carried out, they say.
“Rail Neer water is supplied to the officers, while the others use the RO, and the quality of water is often not good.
Once everyone starts drinking that water, care will be taken to ensure that it is cleaned regularly,” Shiv Gopal Mishra of the All India Railwaymen’s Union said.
The Railway Board circular, however, says that if the water of the RO plants is found to be sub-standard, then immediate supply of bottled water will be arranged.

By Mpho Tebele Gaborone – Botswana, through its ministry of investment, trade and industry, has imposed a ban on the import of bottled natural and mineral water.
The government has also temporarily suspended imports of tomatoes, potatoes and oranges, among others.
The permanent secretary at the ministry of investment, trade and industry, Peggy Serame, explained that the government has imposed restrictions on the import of bottled natural and mineral water under the Control of Goods, Prices and Other Charges Act.
The Statutory Instrument No.
44 of 2018 was published in the Government Gazette dated 6th April 2018,” said Serame.
She added that “the instrument prohibits the importation of water packed in bottles of less than 10 litres and, therefore, only allows importation of water packed in bottles of 10 litres and above.” Serame reiterated that the “implementation of these regulations would promote the competitiveness and sustainability of the domestic water bottling sector, which is a reserved business activity for citizens.” Furthermore, Serame said it is intended to stimulate investment in the sector, which would, in turn, lead to job creation and poverty reduction.
Other restricted crops include tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes.
According to public relations officer in the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Boikhutsho Rabasha, local farmers are producing enough for the local market, hence the decision to close borders on these vegetables.
Rabasha said this will promote and protect local farmers.
Reports show that South Africa’s horticultural farmers continue to benefit immensely from Botswana’s inability to produce enough vegetables and fruits to satisfy the local demand.

ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images Two restaurants in Belgium have been accused of selling tap water inside mineral water bottles to its customers.
The two bistros are being sued by the Belgian mineral water brand ‘Val’ who made the discovery with investigators after analysing the bottled water sold at the two food places in Brussels, according to a Guardian report.
The restaurants have been blamed for filling tap water inside Val bottles, an award-winning company that claims its selling point is in the purification process in the ‘Landenian sand layer of the region’s subsoil’, the report said.
The officials at the mineral water company became doubtful about the restaurants not ordering enough bottles despite an agreement they signed in 2008.
Albeit finding traces of tap water inside the bottles, they were still unsure about the fraud.
As per reports in a Belgian daily newspaper, L’Echo, the waiter of the restaurant told the bailiff that they the generally offered the customers an option of mineral water and tap water.
However, soon after the legal complaint which said that the bottles were filled with tap water, the waiter withdrew his previous statement.
The is not the first time that such an incident has come to light.
The brand was accused of using tap water despite its tag-line which said: "as pure as bottled water gets".
However, Coca-Cola said that it had undergone filtration processes before selling the water bottles.

ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images Two restaurants in Belgium have been accused of selling tap water inside mineral water bottles to its customers. The two bistros are being sued by the Belgian mineral water brand ‘Val’ who made the discovery with investigators after analysing the bottled water sold at the two food places in Brussels, according to a Guardian report. The restaurants have been blamed for filling tap water inside Val bottles, an award-winning company that claims its selling point is in the purification process in the ‘Landenian sand layer of the region’s subsoil’, the report said. The two unnamed restaurants were sued by the mineral water producer, Haacht brewery. The officials at the mineral water company became doubtful about the restaurants not ordering enough bottles despite an…

10 Best Bottled Water for Babies to Drink.
Similar to tap water, bottled water is not sterile so it needs to be boiled first, preferably at a temperature of 70 degrees celsius.
From there, we ranked the brands based on their sodium content.
Based on our research, the 10 Best Bottled Water for Babies to Drink are Aquafina Pure Water from PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), Brecon Carreg, Evian Natural Mineral Water from Danone SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:DANOY), Highland Spring, Icelandic Glacial, Nestle Pure Life Purified Water from Nestle SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSRGY), Pinar Madran, Poland Spring Sparkling Water from Nestle SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSRGY), Vittel Mineral Water from Nestle SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSRGY), and Volvic from Danone SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:DANOY).
At 13mg/L, its sodium level is a little more than the average on this list but it remains a go-to brand among moms.
It is also a common name in many parenting forums when it comes to bottled water for babies.
Vittel Mineral Water – Nestle SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSRGY) Another brand under the Nestle label, Vittel Mineral Water suits a low-sodium diet.
Experts recommend boiling the water first when using it in formula milk preparation.
According to the Mineral-Calculator, the product contains 5 milligrams of sodium per liter, which is well within experts’ recommendations.
It has less than 1 milligram of sodium per liter and is recommended for use in infant formula milk.

Bottled mineral water quality: The stark reality.
Around 90% water bottling plants do not have reminaralisation plants, which is essential to maintain the required mineral level in drinking water.
Many samples found to have pathogenic and indicator bacteria like coliforms, E. Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus, etc, which cause infections in the intestines leading to diarrhoea and throat pain.
It should also be free from other microbes like fecal Streptococci, Sulphite reducing anaerobes, yeast and moulds and Vibrio cholera and V. parahaemolyticus.
Similar may be the condition with many such plants all over the country including our state.
Absence of thorough check by regulatory authorities is making the bottled water industry to flourish.
Many of these do not have basic requirements.
The shelf life of the product should be printed on the bottle.
Water should not be stored in bottles for long periods.
Empty cans should be cleaned thoroughly.

Two brands of alkaline water were introduced at the Sheng Siong supermarket chain last year.
$134m The amount consumers here spent on bottled water in 2015, nearly 24 per cent more than in 2010, according to data from research firm Euromonitor International 1,000 How many times cheaper tap water is, compared to bottled water, according to national water agency PUB In fact, as brands come up with new ways to make their products stand out, the question is: Do their marketing claims hold water?
Experts say there are differences in the sources and treatment process, but it is difficult to say if one type is better than another.
They are natural mineral water, packaged drinking water, mineralised drinking water, distilled water and spring water.
Despite some studies affirming the benefits, experts told The Straits Times that more conclusive results are necessary to support claims for alkaline water and oxygenated water.
When it comes to the taste of water, most people cannot tell the difference, The Guardian reported in 2011.
"So, while it’s good to have natural minerals, it is also important to check the contents," she added.
But Mr Goh’s children do drink tap water when they are out.
Experts say the level of chlorine in Singapore’s tap water is within acceptable limits.
In 2016, chlorine levels in all the waterworks ranged from 2.04 to 2.98mg per litre, well within the World Health Organisation’s limits of 5mg per litre.

In some cases, publicly-sourced tap may actually be safer since it is usually tested more frequently.
Across the globe, people drink roughly 10% more bottled water every year, but Americans continue to consume more packaged H2O than people in other countries do.
Last year was the first time Americans drank more bottled water than soda.
In fact, a recent report found that almost half of all bottled water is actually derived from the tap.
The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for conducting those tests.
However, if you live in one of the 15 million (mostly rural) US households that gets drinking water from a private well, the EPA isn’t keeping an eye on your water quality.
In a 2011 report, 13 percent of the private wells that geologists tested were found to contain at least one element (like arsenic or uranium) at a concentration that exceeded national guidelines.
A recent study from the International Bottled Water Association found that North American companies use 1.39 litres (45 oz) of water to make one litre of the bottled stuff.
So think twice the next time you consider buying a case of bottled water.
If you can’t find it, contact your local representative.