Water Security in India: Water Policy and Human Security in the Indian Region by Vandana Asthana & A. C. Shukla

Author:Vandana Asthana & A. C. Shukla [Asthana, Vandana & Shukla, A. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Technology & Engineering, Environmental, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, Political Science, Water Supply, Economic Policy, Security (National & International)
ISBN: 9781441179364
Google: 9tOrBwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 18465093
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 2014-10-09T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Box 7.1: Case Study: Kala Dera

Nearly sixty villages surrounding the bottling plant of Coca-Cola have complained of severe water shortages since it began its operations in Kala Dera. In 1998, the Central Ground Water Board of India declared the groundwater resources in Kala Dera area as “overexploited.” After two years, Coca-Cola decided to locate its bottling plant and begin operations in Kala Dera. It is difficult to predict why Coca-Cola started operations in Kala Dera when the government had already confirmed water shortages in the area. A sustained international campaign against Coca-Cola forced the company to agree to an independent assessment of its bottling operations in India. The assessment was conducted by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) at six bottling plants in 2007 including Kala Dera, and it also confirmed the concerns of the farmers and villagers of Kala Dera. In its assessment, TERI concluded that the Coca-Cola Company operated on a principle dedicated just to the “business continuity,” and community water issues had been completely neglected, making it clear that Coca-Cola cannot continue to use the groundwater in Kala Dera. The report made the following recommendations:

• Transport water from the nearest aquifer that may not be stressed

• Store water from low-stress seasons

• Relocate the plant to a water-surplus area

• Shut down the facility

In the latest government data obtained by the Indian Resource Center, groundwater levels in Kala Dera have continued spiraling downwards, falling another 3.6 meters (11.8 ft) in just one year, between November 2009 and November 2010. In the ten years before Coca-Cola started operations in Kala Dera (1990–2000), groundwater levels fell just 3.94 meters (12.9 ft). In the ten years since Coca-Cola started operations (2000–2010), groundwater levels have plummeted 25.35 meters (83.2 ft).

Source: Community Rallies for Coca-Cola Plant Closure (http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2008/1053.html assessed on November 17, 2008), in http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2011/1008.html (Accessed September 12, 2013).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.