New standards introduced by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will stipulate that bottled water is tested for 32 types of pesticides, with the quantity of all pesticide and pesticide residue not exceed 0.1 micro-milligrams per litre and 0.5 microns per litre, respectively.

In addition, the BIS is now to use the capillary column system for testing water as opposed to the packed column test previously used.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

But according to manufacturers, the new directive is similar to existing regulations. “Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) norms, as of today, are consistent with World Health Organisation (WHO) norms, so I don’t see much difference in the the new directive that the ministry has announced,” said Ramesh Chauhan, chairman of Parle Bisleri Ltd.

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola India said: “We wish to emphasise that the quality of our Kinley water conforms to the highest international standards and meets the quality standards for potable drinking water set by WHO. Kinley water meets and far excels the quality standards set by BIS for the bottled drinking water industry.”

The issue of pesticide contamination in bottled water has arisen following tests conducted on mineral and bottled water by the Centre for Science and Environment which found pesticide residue levels 104 times higher than the internationally accepted norms. In addition, residues were found in bottled water of extremely harmful pesticides such as DDT, chloropirifor, lindane and malathion. Previous BIS had not revealed any such pesticides.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.