RAWALPINDI: With the onset of summer, brightly colored ice balls and flavored drinks sold on streets and outside schools have started raising health concerns in the city. Vendors selling ice balls regularly gather outside government and private schools during breaks and closing hours, offering the treats for Rs10 to Rs20. Alongside the ice balls, artificially flavored cold drinks in seven to eight different colors are also being sold for Rs10 per glass. The products are available in red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and brown colors, while ice balls are usually prepared using three or four colors of the customer's choice.
Not only children but adults are also buying these treats due to their low prices. From 8am till midnight, stalls and carts selling colorful drinks and ice balls can be seen across neighborhoods, markets, and commercial areas. Vendors are also selling low-quality flavored juices in the name of various fruits at cheap rates, contributing to the spread of diseases. Children are increasingly spending their pocket money on these ice balls after school hours, while no action is being taken against the vendors.
Expert Warnings on Health Risks
Former Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology medical superintendent Dr Ayaz Haider said the ice balls were highly injurious to health and caused throat and stomach illnesses. He said although ice appeared cold, its effect on the body was harmful, adding that the colors used on ice balls did not comply with hygiene standards. The red coloring in particular was extremely dangerous for health, he added.
Dr Haider said the syrups used on ice balls were unbranded and usually prepared at home. He said throat diseases were spreading rapidly these days because people preferred low-quality ice cream, ice balls, and market syrups instead of taking precautions during hot weather. He further said smoke emitted by vehicles also contaminated these food items.
Seasonal Attraction and Profitability
During summer, people are naturally attracted towards cold drinks, ice balls, kulfi, market syrups, sattu, and sugarcane juice, making it a profitable season for roadside vendors, he added. He warned that dust settling on unhygienic kulfi, cold drinks, and ice balls could also prove harmful to health. Seasonal changes often trigger throat and stomach diseases, while even minor negligence could lead to illness, he said.
Dr Haider advised parents to avoid such products and instead provide children with fresh fruit and vegetable juices prepared at home. He emphasized the need for strict action against vendors selling unhygienic items to prevent the spread of diseases.
