Zoom-Bangla Desk: In the name of pure drinking water, tap water is being freely sold in jars in the capital Dhaka. Some unscrupulous traders are doing this business of adulterated water. There are hundreds of such establishments in Dhaka without BSTI approval. But fake stickers of BSTI are being used on every jar. Such images were found in different places of the capital including Mogbazar, Banglamotor, Banshri, Bhatara, Khilgaon. A study by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) found that 97 percent of the water in Dhaka's jars contained harmful levels of bacteria from human and animal feces. After such alarming information came to light, the regulatory agency BSTI launched an operation, but this business is still uncontrolled.

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In this regard, Director General of BSTI SM Ferdous Alam said that the illegal trade of contaminated water is a punishable offence. Water purification has 40 to 41 parameters. Water can be supplied only if these parameters are passed, otherwise not. Quick action will be taken against these illegal traders. If the amount of lead, cadmium, arsenic is high in water, it is very harmful for human body. He further said that some unscrupulous businessmen are indulging in malpractices of manufacturing and marketing drinking water/natural mineral water products without BSTI license. BSTI has taken measures in the past to prevent these malpractices and the drive against them will continue and swift action will be taken. Jar water is used in various public and private institutions of the capital. In particular, almost every tea shop in the city sells jar filtered water for 1 rupee per glass. When asked how safe the water in the jar is, the shopkeepers said, we buy each jar for Tk 30 to Tk 40.

Various companies supply our stores with safe water. Can't tell if it's pure or not. In some areas of the city, it has been seen that the dirty water business is going on freely. Most people are skeptical about bottled water. Bottled water is being sold in shops and restaurants. Most people are drinking bottled water. While there are doubts, no one knows for sure whether what they think is filtered water is safe. However, it has been seen directly in different places that most of the water in this jar is taken directly from the water line or from its own deep tube well.

In the Madhubagh area of ​​Moghbazar of the capital, workers can be seen cleaning the jar with detergent in a dirty environment inside the pure water factory.

A worker, who did not want to be named, said that water treated with 'Ultra Violet-Ray' in their factory is sold for Tk 25 per jar. And the price of each jar of water purified by 'reverse osmosis' method is 70 rupees.

But the real picture is completely different. Direct wasa or deep tube well water is being sold in jars. But no one drinks this water without boiling it at home. Day after day some unscrupulous traders are dealing in unsanitary water supply. Although one or two raids have been conducted, no effective action has been taken to check the quality of water.