Does packaged drinking water mean that it is safe and fit for consumption? Are you paying the money for unhygienic water and harming your health?

To address such concerns, The West Bengal Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Welfare Association(WBPDWMWA), the apex body of packaged drinking water in West Bengal, organized a press conference. Senior officials of WBPDWMWA – Mr. Sanjib Nag (President), Mr. Jitendra Surana (Chairman), Mr. Navin Jairamka (Secretary), Mr. Sukamal Pal (Ex-President), Mr. Sudip Ghosh (Vice-President), Dr. Harinder Singh (Law & Media Coordinator) and advocate of the Association graced the conference.

The press conference brought up important issues about the widespread unauthorized production and sale of filthy bottled drinking water as well as its detrimental effects on public health. The Association urgently urged the West Bengal Government to act right away and control the situation in order to prevent it from spiraling out of control.

Although West Bengal only has 350–400 licensed packaged water manufacturers, thousands of illicit ones have sprung up throughout the state, posing a serious health threat to the entire state given the negative effects on the consumers.

Numerous lives are at risk as a result of the uncontrolled producers’ deterioration of the quality of the water supply. Water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid have the potential to be spread through contaminated water. These unregulated units, which lack regulatory compliances and norms, also significantly deplete the environment’s limited water supply.

WBPDWMWA emphasized that the production and distribution of 20-liter jars, which are distributed locally without labeling, additives, or purification, pose risks to the general public’s health and trust. In Bengal, these fake 20-liter jars now account for almost 90% of the packaged drinking water market. The general public consumes the water to their own disadvantage because they are uninformed of this dangerous fact.

Every batch of water must go through careful sample testing before being distributed in order to avoid this. Additionally, it is crucial to mark products correctly. The ISI, BIS, and FSSAI license details, which act as indicators of quality and safety, should be prominently displayed on the water containers.

The Association has urgently requested the creation of a task force that will function directly under the direct sub-supervision of the District Magistrate of each individual district and be overseen by the Principal Secretary, Government of West Bengal. The main goal is to establish a special task force in each district made up of representatives from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the Department of Food and Safety, the Department of BIS, local police stations, and other licensee departments.

The creation of this task force will be crucial in putting an end to the state’s existing problems with illegal, unregulated water trading practices.

Priyanka Dutta