The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan, a non-governmental organisation, has highlighted serious flaws in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report concerning the extension of a multinational bottled-water company's purification plant at Sheikhupura. The company has requested the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to let it extend its existing purification plant. It has submitted an EIA report to the EPA for approval in order to begin construction. Approval: WWF Fresh Water and Toxic Programme Director Hammad Naqi raised a number of objections in the company's EIA report and demanded that the EPA should not give the company approval for the plant's extension. The EPA's Director for EIA, Mian Khalid Mehmood, told Daily Times on Tuesday that the WWF had raised a number of objections about the bottling company's EIA report on July 10. On July 11, a public hearing was held in which he heard both parties' arguments. He said that the EPA had asked the company to remove the objections raised by the WWF on its EIA report, or clarify its position on the issue within a week. He said that otherwise the company would not be allowed to extend its existing project. Lack of information: The WWF's main objection concerning the report is that it does not describe the hydro-geological conditions in general and the potential of the water aquifier in particular. There is no data or scientific information on water balance to assess the impact of withdrawing groundwater, which is the most crucial impact parameter. Pumping large quantities of water can affect the groundwater level and its availability in the area leading to a major social and environmental disaster. Therefore there is a need to conduct a thorough water balance study. The report does not encompass important questions like the availability of groundwater in the area, the current rate of extraction of water. The report proposes water extraction on an hourly basis. They also objected to the fact that the EIA report did not state the radius of influence due to groundwater extraction by the plant and the current rate of groundwater decline in the area. The plant is currently producing 34,500 1.5-litre bottles every year. The total water withdrawn is 413,950 litres per year, which the WWF considers to be high. Each 1.5-litre bottle utilises 12 litres of groundwater, which the WWF says is wasteful and inefficient. The organisation claims that the ideal ratio of water consumption for bottled-water production should not exceed 3:1 (litre to litre). It also argues that there are irregularities in the data on wastewater discharge from the plant. It suggests that the company should also incorporate groundwater monitoring, recharge and wastewater reuse/disposal into its Environmental Management Plan. The WWF demanded the EPA to return the report, halt extension of the plant and ask the firm to conduct a comprehensive scientific water balance study of the area. An official of the company said that the company would submit a written reply regarding the objections raised by WWF to the EPA.