Jar and bottled water

Water is very important for our life. We cannot live without it. But what we are drinking in the name of jar and bottled water is a big question.

Often we read in the media about mobile court's fining and sentencing people for selling spurious water. The unscrupulous traders fill jars with tap water and rip off unsuspecting consumers by selling these to them claiming that these are pure and filtered water.

Dhaka is a city of 16 million people. There are many brands of bottled water. During the hot and humid summer, the requirement of bottled water increases manifold as people try to quench their thirst with water from sealed bottles.

Drinking unsafe water increases our chances of getting sick and become infected with various kinds of waterborne diseases. Access to safe water is a right of citizens but some people are playing with public health.

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) should tighten its monitoring and ensure the quality of mineral water. That will be another step towards keeping our people healthy, and free from many diseases.

Mohammed Fahim

Moghbazar, Dhaka