The Hindu Business Line : Mineral water plant in AP leaves the locals high and dry?

COCA-COLA company's `Kinley' mineral water may be good to quench the thirst, but its production seems to be leading to drinking water shortage in some areas, leaving the local population high and dry.

This has been brought to light by Samriti, a voluntary organisation here. According to it, Sri Sarvaraya Sugars Ltd, a bottling unit located at Sattupalli in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, is drawing 2.25 lakh litres of groundwater per day for the production of Kinley mineral water for and on behalf of the Coca-Cola company.

The unit, according to the Samriti Event Coordinator, Capt J. Rama Rao, had reportedly drilled two deep bore-wells for drawing groundwater. As a result, bore wells in some areas of Sattupalli village, having a population of 25,000 have dried up, leading to shortage of drinking water.

Capt Rama Rao, in a letter addressed to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary, has sought the review of the policy of and regulation of exploitation of groundwater for commercial purposes. He said that groundwater, particularly in upland and water-scarce areas, should not be permitted for production of packed drinking water.

The Coca-Cola General Manager, Public Affairs and Communications, Mr Vijayabhaskar Reddy, however, said the company was doing whatever it could for recharging groundwater. It had dug rainwater harvesting pits in villages where its bottling plants are located.

Mr Reddy told Business Line that last year, the company had spent Rs 31 lakh in Andhra Pradesh on drilling bore-wells and creating rainwater harvesting pits in areas where water was scarce.

The company proposed to take part in the `Neeru-Meeru' programme, a massive action plan initiated by the State Government for harvesting rainwater and to recharge depleting groundwater table.

Apart from the Sattupalli unit, Kinley mineral water is currently being bottled in Hyderabad. The company is establishing a third bottling plant on the banks of Manjira river near Sangareddy, about 70 km from here. This plant is expected to be commissioned in a month's time.

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