BFA seals multiple bottled water plants in Quetta

QUETTA: The Balochistan Food Authority (BFA) sealed several bottled water plants in different parts of Quetta on Monday during an operation against facilities accused of running without legal approval and supplying unregistered and substandard water.

According to BFA officials, three plants were shut down during inspections carried out on Old Sabzal Road, the Western Bypass and in Jabal Noor. Officials said the violations found at these sites included poor sanitary conditions, rodent waste, absence of registration and incorrect labelling on bottled water products.

The authority also collected bottled water samples from the inspected facilities and sent them to laboratories for testing.

Further action in other localities

In additional operations, the BFA sealed three more plants in Nawakili, Killi Shabo and Chashma Achuzai. Inspectors allegedly found algae in storage tanks at these facilities, along with tampered expiry dates and the absence of basic safety arrangements.

On Sirki Road, inspection teams checked six reverse osmosis (RO) plants. As a result of that inspection, one plant was sealed while another was fined for violations.

Authorities also took action in the Double Road and Satellite Town areas, where four more plants were sealed for breaching food safety rules. Samples were collected from several of these sites as well for laboratory analysis.

Violations cited by inspectors

The crackdown covered multiple parts of Quetta and focused on plants that, according to officials, were operating in violation of food safety regulations. Among the issues highlighted during the inspections were unhygienic conditions, unregistered operations, misleading or incorrect labels, algae in water storage systems, altered expiry dates and inadequate safety measures.

BFA officials said laboratory testing would be carried out on the collected samples to assess the quality of the bottled water being supplied from the affected plants.

The action formed part of the authority’s enforcement drive against illegal and substandard bottled water facilities in the provincial capital.