Photo: Brunswick Mineral Springs

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court halted on Thursday 24 mineral water companies from operating in the country until they can satisfy the court regarding their safety standards.

Hearing a suo motu case on safe drinking water, the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, observed that until they are satisfied that the said companies are distributing safe drinking water, they will not be allowed to operate.

The chief justice remarked during the hearing that they have to keep in mind the interest as well as safety of children.

The court observed that the companies should realise that they cannot sell unsafe drinking water.

The hearing was then adjourned for an indefinite period. 

Poisonous and running out: Pakistan's water crisis

More than two-thirds of households drink bacterially contaminated water and, every year, 53,000 Pakistani children die of diarrhoea after drinking it, says UNICEF

In a report published on January 8, the AFP stated that more than two-thirds of households drink bacterially contaminated water and, every year, 53,000 Pakistani children die of diarrhoea after drinking it, according to the UNICEF.

Cases of typhoid, cholera, dysentery and hepatitis are rampant. According to the UN and Pakistani authorities, between 30 and 40 per cent of diseases and deaths nationwide are linked to poor water quality, the report added.