Spurious mineral water

The Daily Star story on the bottled water scandal goes to show how vulnerable our heath is at the hands of some unscrupulous traders. They have been filling up empty plastic containers collected from sundry places with tap water and selling these off as mineral water with fake security seals affixed. This is the height of commercial fraudulence surreptitiously at work.

It is dumfounding to note how indifferent those traders could be to the health hazard their business has been causing to the consumers. They did not seem to have any qualms in admitting and explaining how their illegal trade operated. They even improvised on the bottles to make them look like the originals.

This is a culpable offence that must be brought to justice by the government. What has been exposed in essence is the complete denial of consumers' rights. We are shocked and surprised to learn that the rights of the consumers are being violated in so many ways and yet the authorities are seemingly turning a blind eye to it. What is particularly shocking is the indifferent attitude of law enforcers in the area of old Dhaka where fake mineral water is manufactured. We want to know -- would they act now after the report has been published? Why do they wake up after an expose has been made in the press?

Bangla daily Prothom Alo has also reported that Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) seized huge jars of adulterated water of a company that does not even have a trade licence. The old Dhaka story only showed it was a tip of the iceberg. BSTI along with the law enforcers must protect the interests of consumers. It is time we had a consumer law, which understandably, has been on the anvil for too long for any comfort.