The government said on Thursday that packaged water conforming to the present BIS standards was "absolutely safe" with pesticide content well below acceptable limits but no decision has been taken on whether the standards need to be upgraded to EU levels.

"The BIS norms being followed by packaged water companies were and are safe. This is what we have concluded in a seminar held today. But we are yet to decide on whether we need to revise the norms further. A technical committee has suggested stricter norms but we have to study these recommendations," consumer affairs secretary Wajahat Habibullah said in New Delhi.

Asked what was the need to revise existing norms if the water being consumed was safe, he said this was merely an exercise in constantly improving and reviewing the certification process.

"The technical committee has done its bit in finalising a new set of norms as per WTO (World Trade Organisation) guidelines. We will consult the health ministry on the matter," he said.

Packaged water took centrestage when about a fortnight ago analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment of 17 brands sold in and around Delhi and 13 brands in the Mumbai region found as many as five different pesticide residues in the samples.