Blue drums: Beverages and milk that could kill you

The blue drums that store beverages contain left over chemicals that can cause diseases that may be life threatening.

Rashid Ali July 23, 2013
Nowadays, wherever we go, we find blue-coloured drums, which are used by shopkeepers to store water and prepare beverages. People drink the beverages without any qualms even after coming to know about the way they are prepared.

It seems that nobody knows that the blue drum is not good for our health. Different chemicals are imported from different countries in these very drums and once they are emptied, they are sold in the market to be purchased by uninformed buyers, who use these to store liquid products. The government of Pakistan has prohibited the use of these chemical-ridden drums but shopkeepers still continue using them openly and nobody questions them.

Where are the health inspectors? What are their duties? Why don’t they take any responsibility for this state of affairs?

At present, milk is also sold in these drums. This milk is consumed by small children, which makes them vulnerable to disease. According to doctors, edible products stored in these drums are not good for health. When beverages are stored in the drums, dangerous chemicals end up getting mixed with the food items, which then become dangerous for human consumption. The continuous use of this water storage mechanism is a major cause for diseases of the stomach, small and large intestines and the liver.

Here the question arises: why do we take right decisions at the last moment?

In Pakistan, we take note of such happenings after much suffering and loss of life has already taken place. For example, a few days ago when a CNG cylinder exploded and killed 18 children, authorities decided to fix the mess to avoid similar incidents in the future.

We must appeal to the government to strictly prohibit these chemical-based drums so nobody can use them for selling milk and soft drinks. On the one hand, we talk about changing our existing political system, while on the other, we expect that all changes, even minor ones, will be brought about by others. We need to take some responsibility on our own too.

Read more by Rashid here
WRITTEN BY:
Rashid Ali Attock Correspondent for The Express Tribune.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (8)

Indian | 10 years ago | Reply @desipaki: What? That's hilarious. You are so sincere in your hatred - keep it up. By the way - green is my favourite colour - nothing to do with any team - its the colour of mother nature's exuberance and plenty.
Zalim singh | 10 years ago | Reply @ desipaki intrestingly , blue colour is a winner.
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