New Delhi, February 25
Responding to growing consumer anxiety and concern over the safety of packaged drinking water, the government has decided to enforce stringent BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) norms for the manufacture and sale of bottled water by quantifying the maximum limit for pesticide residues.
In a suo moto statement in the Rajya Sabha today, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr Sharad Yadav, said that sectional committees concerned which met early this month to consider amendments in the BIS standards had unanimously decided in ‘‘public/consumer interest to quantify the maximum limit for pesticides residues and made the necessary amendments to the two Indian standards.’’
Mr Yadav informed the House that these revised norms now formed an amendment to the two Indian standards, one for natural mineral water and another for packaged drinking water. The standards formulated in 1998 covered micro-biological, physical and chemical safety of water. He said that internationally established test methods capable of detecting the above limits would now be used for analysis.
The Minister said that the manufacturer would now be required to produce a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the Central/State Government Ground Water Authority before obtaining BIS certification. He said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had initiated measures to amend the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules.
Reassuring the House of proper monitoring, Mr Yadav said that inspections had been carried out across the country of all major manufacturing units and action taken under the BIS regulations against those found defying existing standards.
Mr Yadav said that experts, who attended a seminar convened by the BIS recently to determine whether the existing product was fit for human consumption, opined that the packaged drinking water now being produced according to BIS standards was fit for human consumption. The seminar was attended by eminent scientists representing government bodies, consumers, representatives of industry and other stakeholders.
Taking cognisance of news reports quoting findings of the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based non-government organisation ,that pesticide residues were in excess in samples of
BIS-certified packaged drinking and mineral water, the government constituted an inquiry committee. Mr Yadav said that the committee chaired by the Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, was examining various issues related to BIS standards for packaged drinking water/natural mineral water.
