IS 14543 (BIS Standard for Packaged Drinking Water)

IS 14543 is the Bureau of Indian Standards specification for **packaged drinking water (other than natural mineral water)**. Compliance with IS 14543 is mandatory for any plant labelling its product "Packaged Drinking Water" in India. The standard covers: - **Source water** quality requirements - **Treatment process** validation (multi-stage filtration, disinfection) - **Final product** chemistry: TDS (50–250 ppm), pH (6.5–8.5), turbidity, hardness, residual ozone, residual chlorine, microbial limits (zero coliform, E. coli, sulphite-reducing anaerobes per 100ml) - **Packaging** material specifications - **Labelling** requirements (statements, font sizes, batch coding) The BIS-issued certification, displayed via the **ISI mark** with the **CM/L number**, is the key consumer trust signal in the Indian packaged water market. The license is valid 1 year and requires annual surveillance audits. For natural mineral water, the relevant standard is IS 13428, a separate, more stringent specification covering water from a defined natural source.