Indian villagers blame Coca-Cola bottling plant for creating water shortage
Coca-Cola uses the same groundwater source to meet its production needs, placing it in direct competition with the local community, environmentalists say
Eighteen village councils in northern India are demanding a local Coca-Cola bottling plant be prohibited from extracting water from the ground, claiming its over usage has led to water scarcity in the area, said an environmental campaign group.
The villages, which are located in Mehdiganj area of Varanasi district – the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – claim they have been facing water shortages since 1999 when the plant began operations.
[Coca-Cola] exploits groundwater at the expense of the poor, the women, children, farmers and livestock who have to live with less water
“Elected village council heads represent the voice of the people, and they are clear that Coca-Cola is not welcome in Mehdiganj. It is time for Coca-Cola to pack up and leave,” said Amit Srivastava of the California-based India Resource Centre, which is supporting the village councils.
“Coca-Cola paints a pretty picture of itself internationally as a responsible user of water, but the reality in India is that it exploits groundwater at the expense of the poor, the women, children, farmers and livestock who have to live with less water because Coca-Cola mines groundwater in a water scarce area for profit.”
Mehdiganj is largely agrarian and communities here rely on groundwater to meet most of their needs, including for personal drinking and washing, irrigation and for livestock.
Coca-Cola uses the same groundwater source to meet its production needs – placing it in direct competition with the local community, environmentalists say.