WHO report reveals 36% of population has access to safe drinking water
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report revealed that only 36% of the Pakistani population has access to safe drinking water. In a water quality monitoring study, The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) discovered that 69% to 85% of collected samples of water were contaminated.
In addition, the PCRWR found that nine bottled water companies sold in Pakistan were contaminated. Clean Plus, NICE, Blue Ice and Pacific Pure were found to have high levels of arsenic. Comparatively, Rise Water, Al Shalal, Al Safia, GEM Water, and Do Aab Water were found to have microbiological contamination. Water brands NICE and Pacific Pure were found to have high levels of sodium.
The PCRWR, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, has implemented 24 water quality monitoring laboratories throughout Pakistan in an attempt to continuously check water quality.