Bottled water of 5 brands unsafe: BSTI

Sayeed Muhammad of DOT
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) yesterday submitted a report to the High Court saying it has found five brands’ bottled water unsafe for drinking and other 10 brands’ water safe after examining their quality. The five brands producing unsafe water are—Yummy Yummy, Aqua Mineral, CFB, OSMA and Simmin while the 10 brands producing potable water are: Vistal Fresh, Mukta, Aquatin, Mum, Kinley, Oasis, Pran, Sala, Crystal and Disha, reports The Daily Star.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Mokhlesur Rahman, who placed the test report to the HC on BSTI’s behalf, said all necessary ingredients are not there in the water produced by the five companies.
During hearing a writ petition also on the same day, the HC received the test report and ordered the BSTI to submit another report on the steps it has taken against the five companies producing unsafe drinking water before this court by February 24.
DAG Moklesur also said BSTI will examine the quality of some other companies’ bottled water and will submit their test report to the HC by February 24.
The bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al Jalil fixed February 24 for passing further order on this issue.
Following the writ petition, the HC bench on December 3 last year ordered BSTI and law enforcers to immediately check quality of water sold in plastic bottles and other containers across the country.
The court also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why they should not be directed to ensure the supply of safe drinking water through authorised means and why their failure to this effect should not be declared illegal.
On January 14, the HC extended its December 3 order and asked BSTI to examine the water and submit the test reports to it by today.
Petitioner’s counsel Md JR Khan Robin earlier said a total of 287 factories are authorised to produce plastic bottles, jars and other containers.
More than 3,000 factories are unauthorised, he added.