Bottled water woes
“Bottle, bottle everywhere; not a single one to provide water”
Bottled water is the present era acquisition of safe drinking water to homes and offices and practically everywhere. The bottle comes in many sizes ranging from 200 ml to 30 liters. It price ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 100.
Yet people donot realize the risk of bottled water. Risks such as being effected by carcinogenic substances and also deterioration of health. The risks majorly caused not from the water, but from the plastic used to contain the water. The plastic grade that contains water is not of food grade as in case of many bottled water. The expiry dates present on the bottled water is not that of the water; but of the plastics.
Plastics emit substances over a period of time when reacted with water or when stored for a long time. Since plastics also have molecules, these molecules dissolve in water, since water being a universal solvent. These molecules are undetectable to the eyes since they are dissolved in the water and also emits no ordour. It is highly impossible to detect the plastic that are not food grade and that are harmful to health.
Travelers keep bottled water in the cars for longer hours. This is not only dangerous but also risky since the plastic emits and also makes the water warm. This way people think they are consuming the water brought from home, but they are in turn poisonous.
Big brands are careful about these things; hence they pack water in food grade plastics. Normal 20 lts water can costs rs 70. Hence in a household of middle class family, rs 6000 per year is spent on bottled water alone. This way, lots of money is lost just for purchase of bottles and bottled water. The Government turns a blind eye to the fake brands and nothing is done.
Along with plastic being a health hazard, many fake brands just filter the water and fill in it; meaning that bacteria and viruses that are harmful to the body still exists in the water. Most of these fake brands fill out clear water, which is again is easily undetectable from the branded bottled water. Since the bottles are not food grade and not recyclable, cunning people refill the water at railway stations and platforms, fooling the customers for petty money. In India, people have an easy go attitude for such things; hence nothing major has been done about it.
We need a revolution for bottled water: water to be made in food grade plastic, water to be feasible and stringent laws to be implemented against fake brands. It is very difficult for branded bottled water to reach the target audience because of these fake brands.
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