Govts should curb growth of bottled water

I laud the commentary “Bottled water a disaster for the environment and the world’s poor” (Sept 30) for highlighting concerns arising from the growing usage of bottled water.

It is time the world wakes up to the environmental hazards of uncontrolled distribution of water in polyethylene terephthalate bottles, which is unfortunately gaining acceptability on the grounds of being safer for health than tap water.

Governments and policymakers must implement diligent measures to ensure that potable tap water is readily available to the masses, and build public confidence in the quality of the tap water through structured and well-advertised testing and quality-control procedures. Education drives should be initiated to promote tap water as a better, more economical and eco-friendly alternative.

Particular focus is needed in Third World countries, where not only is the municipal water quality not well controlled, but plastic bottles also pose a greater pollution hazard, as recycling processes are not robust enough.

It may also be good to regulate strictly the material used for bottles. This should be targeted at gradually phasing out the use of traditional plastic bottles and making it compulsory to use only bottles made from biodegradable plastic.

Incentives should be considered. For example, green credits and other appropriate rebates can be awarded to facilities such as malls, office buildings, hotels and hospitals that adopt an efficient, safe system of distributing potable tap water. They would also have to stop selling or distributing bottled water on their premises.