Test Your Home Drinking Water in Pakistan at a PCRWR Lab From Rs 1,000
Get your home drinking water tested at a PCRWR lab in Pakistan. Fees from Rs 1,000, the lab in your city, and how to collect the sample so the result counts.
You can get your home drinking water tested at any of PCRWR's water quality labs in Pakistan. A germ test costs Rs 4,000 a sample, a chemical test Rs 4,000, and both together Rs 5,000, on PCRWR's rate list for the public. A quick yes or no germ test costs Rs 1,000.
PCRWR is the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, a federal government research body. It runs 24 water labs across the country and tests water for ordinary households, not only for companies and government offices.
We read PCRWR's water quality page, rate list, sampling procedure and request form on 1 October 2026.
PCRWR drinking water test fees for the public
PCRWR's revised rate list for the general public and government offices charges Rs 4,000 for a chemical package, Rs 4,000 for a germ package and Rs 5,000 for both. Single tests start at Rs 1,000. Colour and smell are checked free.
| Test | What it checks | Fee per sample |
|---|---|---|
| Package I, chemical | 17 items, including pH, TDS, hardness, nitrate, sodium and turbidity | Rs 4,000 |
| Package II, microbiological | Total coliforms, faecal coliforms and E. coli | Rs 4,000 |
| Package III, chemical plus microbiological | Packages I and II together | Rs 5,000 |
| Presence or absence germ test | Whether germs are present, yes or no | Rs 1,000 |
| Arsenic, lead or another heavy metal | One metal, by atomic absorption | Rs 2,500 each |
| pH, TDS, hardness, chloride and similar | One item at a time | Rs 1,000 each |
| Iron, fluoride, nitrite or phosphate | One item at a time | Rs 1,500 each |
Package III is the sensible choice for most homes. It tells you whether the water carries germs and whether it is too salty, too hard or high in nitrate. If you live in an area known for arsenic, add the Rs 2,500 arsenic test.
Sample bottles cost extra. PCRWR charges Rs 150 for a sterilised 250 ml bottle for the germ test and Rs 200 for a set of three bottles for chemical tests.
PCRWR's online form shows different prices
PCRWR's water analysis page links an online form for households, companies and government offices. All three links open the same form, titled for commercial companies, with seven Punjab labs and higher prices. Call your lab and confirm the fee before you pay.
The form lists a special package at Rs 7,000, a full germ test at Rs 3,000, a presence or absence test at Rs 1,000 and arsenic at Rs 3,000. Its bank details are for PCRWR's Lahore regional office, and it asks you to upload the deposit slip.
So two PCRWR documents give two price sets. The public rate list is the one meant for households, but we could not tell which one a lab applies at the counter.
Which PCRWR lab to use, by city
PCRWR has labs in all four provinces, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. The Islamabad lab tests the most. Six regional labs test heavy metals such as arsenic and lead. District labs test the basics and germs.
| Lab level | Cities | What it can test |
|---|---|---|
| National Water Quality Laboratory | Islamabad, H-8/1 | Everything on the rate list, including pesticides |
| Regional labs | Lahore, Bahawalpur, Karachi, Tandojam, Quetta, Peshawar | Basic chemistry and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury |
| District labs | Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Mianwali, D. G. Khan, Muzaffargarh, Badin, Sukkur, Benazirabad, D. I. Khan, Mansehra, Loralai, Ziarat, Gilgit | Basic chemistry, iron, chlorine, and germs (coliforms and E. coli) |
A district lab cannot test arsenic. PCRWR says that when a district lab lacks a test, the sample can go to a regional lab or to Islamabad. Ask about this when you drop the bottle off.
These are the main lab phone numbers PCRWR lists on its help line page:
- Islamabad, head office: 051-9101282-83, extension 259 for testing
- Lahore, 6.4 km Raiwind Road, off Thokar Niaz Baig: 042-35320484
- Karachi, University Road, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 1: 021-35478502
- Peshawar, Phase VII, Hayatabad: 091-9219000
- Quetta, BUITMS Takatu (Takatai) Campus: 081-2873112
- Faisalabad, 12 km Jaranwala Road: 041-8740058
- Bahawalpur, Rafi Qamar Road: 062-9250191
The Islamabad lab holds ISO 17025 accreditation, an international standard for testing labs, valid until January 2029. Other labs send samples there when an accredited result is needed.
How to collect a water sample at home
Get a sterilised bottle from the lab first. Run the tap for five minutes, fill the bottle without rinsing it or touching the neck, keep it cool, and deliver it fast. PCRWR says germ testing must begin within 6 hours.
These steps follow PCRWR's own sampling procedure for germ tests:
- Collect a sterilised bottle from the lab. It may already hold a few drops of a chemical that neutralises chlorine. Do not rinse it out.
- Pick a tap that carries your normal drinking water. Avoid mixer taps, leaking taps and taps at ground level.
- Take off any filter, hose or nozzle. Run the tap for five minutes. PCRWR's procedure then flames the tap mouth with a little spirit and lets it cool.
- Turn the flow down to a thin stream, about the width of a pencil, and let it run for one minute.
- Hold the bottle near the bottom. Unscrew the cap and keep it in your other hand, never on a surface.
- Fill to the neck without letting it overflow, leave a small air gap, and close the cap.
- Write the date, time and place on the bottle with a permanent marker. Put it in a cool box and take it to the lab the same day.
PCRWR can also send its own team to take the sample. You pay the team's daily allowance plus Rs 500 a sample, and Rs 30 a kilometre if PCRWR provides the vehicle.
What happens after you hand in the sample
You fill in a water analysis request form, pay the fee and get a receipt. PCRWR's terms say routine results are ready in one week. The report covers only the tests you paid for, and the lab discards the sample three days after reporting.
The form asks for the water source, such as a tap, hand pump, tube well or filtration plant. It also asks whether you or PCRWR took the sample. PCRWR takes no responsibility for sampling done by the client, so careful collection is on you.
The report is not valid for court use or business publicity. Against a water supplier, it is a starting point, not legal proof.
If the germ test fails, stop drinking that water unboiled until it is fixed. A bad result on piped water is worth taking to your water utility, or through the Pakistan Citizen's Portal if it does not respond.
When a home water test is worth paying for
PCRWR advises testing when someone at home keeps getting diarrhoea, stomach cramps or vomiting, or when the water tastes foul or bitter, or looks cloudy or coloured. A new bore or hand pump is another good reason.
The national numbers explain why. In PCRWR's 2020 monitoring of 29 cities, 168 of 435 water sources were safe to drink, or 39 per cent. The other 267, or 61 per cent, were unsafe.
Arsenic is a separate risk. In PCRWR's survey of about 34,000 water sources in 61 districts of Punjab and Sindh, 15 per cent had more arsenic than the World Health Organization's limit of 10 parts per billion. You cannot taste arsenic, so only a lab test finds it.
Bottled water is not automatically the safer answer. PCRWR tests bottled brands every quarter, and its April to June 2026 report found 29 of 230 bottled water brands unsafe. If you have just moved into a house, testing goes well alongside a new water connection.
We did not find a provincial government service that tests household water. For a home, PCRWR is the public option.
Common questions
How much does a water test cost at PCRWR?
Rs 5,000 a sample for the combined chemical and germ package on the public rate list. Each package alone is Rs 4,000, and a yes or no germ test is Rs 1,000.
How long does the PCRWR water test result take?
About one week for routine tests, according to PCRWR's request form. Special tests can take longer.
Can I use my own bottle for the sample?
Not for a germ test. Use a sterilised bottle from the lab, which costs Rs 150. A used bottle can contaminate the sample and give a false result.
Can PCRWR test my water for arsenic?
Yes, at Islamabad and the six regional labs, for Rs 2,500 per metal on the public rate list. District labs do not test arsenic.
Can I use a PCRWR report in court?
No. PCRWR's own terms say its report is not valid for court use or for business publicity.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 1 October 2026. The number of labs, what each lab level can test, the 2020 city monitoring figures, the arsenic survey and the testing advice are read on PCRWR's water quality page. Fees are read in PCRWR's revised rate list for the public and government offices, linked from its rate list page. The sampling steps, the six hour limit, the one week turnaround and the report terms are read in PCRWR's sampling procedure and water analysis request form. Lab addresses and phone numbers are from PCRWR's water quality help line page. We did not submit a sample ourselves.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
