Pakistan in Media

The News International, Pakistan

Sunday, May 31, 2009

The LHC has taken up a case in which the petitioner has expressed concern over the quality of water sold in bottles and apprehended that in many cases it is merely filtered tap water. The matter of toxins leaked by plastic bottles into the water has also been taken up.

The tabling of the issue reflects growing consciousness on the part of consumers over what is being sold to them. A similar case, involving the quality of milk sold in Lahore, had also attracted the notice of the top provincial court. What that case proved is that we still lack effective means to regulate the quality of food items sold in the market. The questions raised in that case are still to be resolved.

The fact that more and more such cases are reaching courts and indeed being accepted by them suggests the higher expectations of people from manufacturers including the giant multinationals involved in the marketing of milk, water and other products. The fact also is that most of those who buy the items they have brought into markets do so in the quest for quality and high standards. We need more mechanisms in place to ensure these are delivered. Indeed, the process of adequate testing should not be one dependent entirely on the courts. We need a reliable, independent authority to carry this out as a matter of routine and by doing so make sure that people are indeed getting the goods they pay for. The issue also involves health and welfare. This is a sphere in which the government needs to step in and offer people the peace of mind they seek when it comes to the question of the food they eat or the water they guzzle down each day.

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