The Hindu Business Line : Norms `fail to plug' loopholes in packaged drinking water norms

AS the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's notification on PFA norms for packaged drinking water come into effect beginning January 1, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has amended the Indian Standards of packaged drinking water in order to align with the revised PFA norms. However, loopholes still remain in the system.

Industry representatives point out that there remains room for improvement in the enforcement mechanism and strengthening of the certification.

They add, that even though at least three annual inspections are conducted out with respect to each licence, the tests for pesticide residues are carried out only once in two years.

Of the seven labs of the bureau, only the central lab in Sahibabad (Uttar Pradesh) can test packaged drinking water for bio and chemical parameters — but not pesticide residues.

The BIS too in its official statement admits that its branch offices are still "in the process of collecting data for getting a clearer picture on the implementation of the revised norms'' and that till date approximately 700 BIS licensees for packaged drinking water have implemented the revised norms of pesticide residues. They also say that the new norms will largely depend on effectiveness of testing facilities.

As per the new PFA rules, the limits for pesticide residues have been revised to "not more than 0.0001 mg/1 for pesticide residues considered individually and not more than 0.0005 mg/1 for total pesticide residues''.

Meanwhile, at JPC's latest meeting, the rationale behind adopting the European Union (EU) norms to set limits for pesticide residue in beverages, where water is the contentious issue, had come in for flak, with questions being raised on whether the domestic industry was prepared to adopt such norms in the first place.

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