The Hindu : Kerala News : `Water table around Coke plant has depleted'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

`Water table around Coke plant has depleted'

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 29. The Minister for Water Resources, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, today confirmed that there had been depletion of the groundwater table in the area surrounding the Hindustan Coca-Cola's bottling plant at Plachimada in Palakkad district.

Replying to a submission by the CPI(M) MLA, V. Chenthamarakshan, in the State Assembly, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Groundwater Department had subjected 16 wells around the Coca-Cola plant to a study from March 2002 to August 2003 to verify the complaint that the groundwater table in the area was going down due to the functioning of the plant.

When the data gathered in March 2002 and March 2003 were compared, it was found that the water level had gone down by extents ranging from 22 cm to 137 cm in nine wells during this period. One well went even dry during the one-year period. In six wells, the water level increased by extents ranging between 21 cm and 110 cm. In July 2003, two more wells went dry.

Groundwater pumping

"Pumping of groundwater by the Coca-Cola company and the farmers of the area, coupled with poor rainfall during the last few years, is the reason for the fall in water level in [a majority of the] wells. The increase in water level recorded in some of the wells is due to the recharging that had taken place because of the discharge of water from the bottling plant and the rainwater harvesting being done by the company.

The recharging depends on the structure of the underground rocks of the terrain... The department, based on its study, had recommended imposing restrictions on exploitation of groundwater by the Coca-Cola company," he said. The study also found that hardness and the presence of calcium and chlorides were higher than the permissible limits in five of the 16 wells. "This might be due to the effluents let out by the company," the Minister said.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said that an expert committee chaired by the executive director of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management had conducted a detailed study on the utilisation of groundwater by the Coca-Cola company following a High Court order on a writ petition.

Panel report

The committee presented its report to the High Court on February 3 this year.

The bottling plant of Pepsi located at Puthusserry in Palakkad district is using 10 lakh litres of groundwater daily, according to the information provided by the company. In this case, the department is yet to conduct a study of its own, Mr. Radhakrishnan informed.

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