Fifteen panchayats or village councils here have asked the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to reject Coca-Cola’s application for expansion. Coca-Cola had applied to the CGWA and the UPPCB to increase its groundwater usage from the current 50,000 cubic metres annually to 2,50,000 cubic metres for its bottling plant in Mehdiganj.
Pointing out that since Coca-Cola started its bottling operations there in 1999, groundwater resources had fallen sharply — dropping 7.9 metres (26 feet) — the panchayats said the company should halt its current ground water extraction as well.
The panchayats also noted the negative impact the ‘over-extraction’ by the bottling plant was having on the area’s groundwater resources, making access to drinking and farming water difficult for the community.
Since hand pumps, wells, bore wells and ponds in the area have dried up, the government had to declare the area’s groundwater resources as critical. Moreover, due to the water scarcity, the authorities have banned the installation of all new government hand pumps and bore wells. The affected villages are located within a five-kilometre radius of the bottling plant. Full story...
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Pointing out that since Coca-Cola started its bottling operations there in 1999, groundwater resources had fallen sharply — dropping 7.9 metres (26 feet) — the panchayats said the company should halt its current ground water extraction as well.
The panchayats also noted the negative impact the ‘over-extraction’ by the bottling plant was having on the area’s groundwater resources, making access to drinking and farming water difficult for the community.
Since hand pumps, wells, bore wells and ponds in the area have dried up, the government had to declare the area’s groundwater resources as critical. Moreover, due to the water scarcity, the authorities have banned the installation of all new government hand pumps and bore wells. The affected villages are located within a five-kilometre radius of the bottling plant. Full story...
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