India Resource Center
Posted: April 18, 2013

Fifteen village councils (panchayats) have called upon the government to reject Coca-Cola’s application for expansion because it would further worsen the water conditions in the area. They have also called for an end to Coca-Cola’s current groundwater extraction in Mehdiganj in Varanasi district in India. The fifteen village councils are located within a five kilometer radius of the Coca-Cola bottling plant and are affected by Coca-Cola’s bottling operations.

India Resource Center
Posted: March 7, 2013

Coca-Cola India’s plans to expand its production capacity at its bottling plant in the village of Mehdiganj in the state of Uttar Pradesh have been opposed by local community members and allies. In a letter written to the government agencies responsible for granting the license, Lok Samiti and the India Resource Center have asked the authorities to reject Coca-Cola’s application for expansion and to shut down the current operations immediately to ease the water problems in the area.

India Resource Center
Posted: February 18, 2013

The Coca-Cola company has located one of its bottling plants in Mehdiganj, a rural and agrarian area located about 25 kms from the city of Varanasi, in east India. Coca-Cola’s bottling plant, which has been in operation since 1999, has severely damaged the groundwater resources in the area – both through over-exploitation as well as pollution of groundwater and the soil.

India Resource Center
Posted: November 30, 2011

Pepsico, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, has begun claiming that it has achieved "positive water balance" in India, that it is "Giving Back MORE WATER Than We Take". Wonderful as it may sound, Pepsico's claims of achieving "positive water balance" simply do not add up. Pepsico's claims are misleading and do not stand up to scrutiny.

India Resource Center
Posted: September 21, 2011

In the latest government data obtained by the India Resource Center, groundwater levels in Kala Dera have continued spiraling downwards, falling another 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) in just one year, between November 2009 and November 2010. Coca-Cola’s bottling operations have had a spectacular impact on the groundwater resources in the area. In the 10 years before Coca-Cola started operations in Kala Dera (1990-2000), groundwater levels fell just 3.94 meters (12.9 feet). In the 10 years since Coca-Cola started operations (2000-2010), groundwater levels have plummeted 25.35 meters (83.2 feet)!

India Resource Center
Posted: April 25, 2011

In yet another shocking incidence of groundwater depletion as a result of Coca-Cola's bottling operations in India, government data has confirmed a sharp drop in groundwater levels in Mehdiganj near the city of Varanasi since Coca-Cola began operations in the area in 1999. Groundwater levels in Mehdiganj have dropped 7.9 meters (26 feet) in the 11 years since Coca-Cola started its bottling operations in Mehdiganj. In the 11 years prior to Coca-Cola beginning operations in Mehdiganj, groundwater levels had actually risen 7.95 meters.

India Resource Center
Posted: February 24, 2011

In an unprecedented move, the state legislature of Kerala in India passed legislation today allowing individuals negatively affected by Coca-Cola’s bottling operations in Plachimada to seek compensation from the company. The legislation sets up a tribunal – a three-member body – that has the powers to adjudicate on matters related to claims of compensation as a result of Coca-Cola’s reckless operations in Plachimada. The adoption of the legislation by the Kerala state legislature legally binds Coca-Cola to follow the directives of the tribunal.

India Resource Center
Posted: July 3, 2010

In a major step towards holding Coca-Cola accountable for damages it has caused in India, the state government of Kerala decided on Wednesday to move forward with the formation of a tribunal that will hear and award compensation claims against the Coca-Cola company. The Kerala state cabinet's decision is based on the report and recommendations of a High Power Committee which released a report on March 22, 2010 holding Coca-Cola responsible for causing pollution and water depletion in Plachimada in the state of Kerala in south India. Using the "polluter pays principle", the High Power Committee had recommended that Coca-Cola be held liable for Indian Rupees 216 crore (US$ 48 million) for damages caused as a result of the company's bottling operations in Plachimada.

India Resource Center
Posted: June 27, 2010

Three workers were killed and at least five others seriously injured at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Khurda in the state of Orissa in India on Friday. The workers were engaged in the maintenance of a boiler in the factory which exploded. Company officials in charge of the boiler operations were out to lunch when the explosion occurred, according to reports from local media and groups in the area. The police have arrested three officials from the Coca-Cola bottling plant who were in charge of the maintenance operations, according to media reports. The bottling plant is operated by the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Atlanta based Coca-Cola company.

India Resource Center
Posted: June 4, 2010

Last month, in a bid to preempt any binding government action, sixteen food and beverage companies announced a pledge to reduce 1.5 trillion calories from their products in the US by the end of 2015 - ostensibly to fight obesity in the US. So it comes as a major disappointment that while companies like Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nestle, Kraft Foods and the like have pledged commitments to reduce calorie intake and fight obesity in the US, these very companies are extremely busy ramping up their presence in the developing world, and China and India in particular. But if high-fat, high-sugar and highly processed foods are bad for the health of Americans, are they any good for people in India and China?

India Resource Center
Posted: April 21, 2010

It is only a matter of time before the Coca-Cola company will be held financially and criminally liable for their operations in water-stressed areas in India, Coca-Cola shareholders were told today at the company’s shareholder meeting in Atlanta. "The company management is being seriously derelict in its duties by not acknowledging the real extent of the liabilities Coca-Cola has incurred and continues to incur in India," said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization, at the shareholders meeting. In spite of a series of studies and investigations, including government studies, that have found Coca-Cola guilty of water depletion and pollution, the company has refused to take responsibility for its negligent operations in Plachimada.

India Resource Center
Posted: March 22, 2010

In a major development, a High Power Committee established by the state government of Kerala in India has recommended today that Coca-Cola be held liable for Indian Rupees 216 crore (US$48 million) for damages caused as a result of the company’s bottling operations in Plachimada. "The Committee thus has compelling evidence to conclude that the HCBPL (Coca-Cola) has caused serious depletion of the water resources of Plachimada, and has severely contaminated the water and soil," said the report. "The Committee has come to the conclusion that the Company is responsible for these damages and it is obligatory that they pay the compensation to the affected people for the agricultural losses, health problems, loss of wages, loss of educational opportunities, and the pollution caused to the water resources," added the report.

India Resource Center
Posted: March 11, 2010

The Coca-Cola company has continued to operate its bottling plant in Kala Dera in Jaipur, India even as the area has been declared a drought area last summer and the groundwater levels are falling sharply – leaving the largely agrarian community with severely restricted access to water. Data obtained this week by the India Resource Center from the Central Groundwater Board, a government agency, confirm that groundwater levels in Kala Dera fell precipitously again – a drop of 4.29 meters (14 feet) in just one year between August 2008 and August 2009, from 30.83 meters below ground level to 35.12 meters respectively. The latest government figures on groundwater depletion are extremely alarming given last year's sharp drop in groundwater levels - 5.83 meters (19 feet) between May 2007 and May 2008.

India Resource Center
Posted: December 14, 2009

In another major victory for the international campaign against Coca-Cola, colleges and universities in Norway have decided not to renew the exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. Students across Norway have been campaigning to significantly restrict Coca-Cola's contract on campuses because of the company's mismanagement of water resources in India. Students had argued that Coca-Cola's existing 90% market share on campuses made it difficult for students to exercise their right to buy ethical products on campus. Samskipnaden i Oslo (Foundation for Student Life in Oslo) made the decision not to renew Coca-Cola's exclusive contract and also restrict campus market share for new contracts to 80%, meeting both the student campaign demands.

India Resource Center
Posted: November 30, 2009

Armed with banners demanding "Climate Justice Now!" and "Shut Down Coca-Cola", over 2,000 villagers marched to the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj in India today demanding its closure. Villagers have accused the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj of worsening the water conditions in the area by over-extraction of groundwater as well as pollution. The community was also angered by Coca-Cola's decision to continue production and extraction of groundwater as the area faced severe drought this year and thousands of farmers experienced failed crops and water sources dried up.

India Resource Center
Posted: September 24, 2009

Or at least that is the message if the Coca-Cola company is to be believed. There is a serious (and growing) disconnect between the ground reality in India as a result of Coca- Cola's operations and the company's statements churned out from their public relations department. The company is suggesting that groundwater levels around their embattled bottling plant in the desert are actually rising, and that Coca-Cola is producing enough water in that area to meet the basic drinking water needs for a million people - for an entire year! Really? Shouldn't the world then be building Coca-Cola bottling plants where we have drought?

India Resource Center
Posted: September 4, 2009

Groundwater levels in Kala Dera, the site of Coca-Cola's controversial bottling plant in India, have plummeted 5.83 meters (19 feet) in just one year between May 2007 and May 2008, according to government data obtained by the India Resource Center. Such a precipitous drop in a single year is unprecedented and has never been witnessed in Kala Dera. The area of Kala Dera has also been declared a drought area by the government last week, adding to the water shortages in the area. Adding further to the severe water crisis are Coca-Cola's bottling operations. The company reaches peak production capacity in the summer months - using the most amount of water - exactly when the water shortages for the community are the most pronounced.

India Resource Center
Posted: March 23, 2009

Last month, key activists from Kerala who have succeeded in shutting down one of Coca-Cola's largest plants in India wrote an open letter to Mr. Shashi Tharoor deploring his role as an advisor to the recently formed Coca-Cola India Foundation. What followed was a response from Mr. Tharoor which confirmed that he is not aware of the facts surrounding Coca-Cola's operations in India. Mr. Tharoor - former UN Under Secretary General - has recently confirmed (at a Coca-Cola sponsored lecture, no less) his ambitions to become an elected member of Parliament of India. Mr. Tharoor's letter has evoked strong responses, including one from us.

India Resource Center
Posted: March 9, 2009

As the summer of 2009 approaches, the village of Kala Dera in north India is bracing itself for yet another season of acute water shortages – thanks largely to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola should never have located its bottling plant in a drought prone area which had already been declared as overexploited by the government. It was malfeasance on the part of Coca-Cola to locate its plant in such a water-deficit area, and it was a grave mistake on the part of the Indian government to allow the plant to be located in Kala Dera.

Conforme se acerca el verano de 2009, la villa de Kala Dera en el norte de India comienza a temer una nueva estación de carestía de agua – en gran medida gracias a Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola nunca debió localizar su planta embotelladora en un área susceptible a la sequía, que ya de por sí había sido declarada por el gobierno como sobre-explotada. Coca-Cola actuó de mala fe localizando su planta en un área donde hay carencia de agua y el gobierno Indio cometió un grave error permitiendo que la planta se localizara en Kala Dera.

Enquanto o verão 2009 se aproxima, o vilarejo de Kala Dera, no norte da Índia, está se preparando para mais um período de grave escassez de água, e isso graças principalmente à Coca-Cola. A Coca-Cola nunca deveria ter instalado sua fábrica de engarrafamento em uma região propensa a seca onde o lençol freático já havia sido considerado pelo governo como explorado excessivamente. A Coca-Cola incorreu em conduta ilegal ao instalar sua fábrica em uma região com tanta deficiência de água, e o governo indiano cometeu um grave erro ao permitir que a fábrica se instalasse em Kala Dera.

India Resource Center
Posted: December 3, 2008

The Coca-Cola company and other water companies were challenged in San Francisco by a broad coalition of groups, charging the companies with greenwashing and abusing water resources. The water companies were in San Francisco for a meeting entitled "Corporate Water Footprinting: Towards a Sustainable Water Strategy" on December 2 and 3, 2008 to ostensibly outline water conservation strategies. The coalition organized a capacity-filled Water Rights conference on December 2nd as well as a protest, including street theater, at the corporate conference venue today.

India Resource Center
Posted: November 25, 2008

The Coca-Cola company is up to its old tricks again. The company, which is under fire for its mismanagement of water resources in India, has gone all out to manufacture an image of itself as a global leader in water conservation. The Coca-Cola company is now embarking on their latest initiative to mislead the public - announcing its water neutrality goals. Becoming water neutral is impossible, and Coca-Cola is very well aware of this. But matters like that have never stopped the company from making preposterous claims, however misleading and troublesome they may be.

La compañía Coca-Cola recurre otra vez a sus viejos trucos. La compañía, que está siendo acribillada por los malos manejos de los recursos de agua en India, ha puesto todas sus fuerzas en la fabricación de una imagen de sí misma como líder mundial en la conservación del agua. La compañía Coca-Cola ahora se está embarcando en su última iniciativa para confundir al público, anunciando metas para su neutralidad de agua. Llegar a ser agua neutral es imposible y Coca-Cola lo sabe muy bien. Sin embargo asuntos como este nunca han detenido a la compañía para emitir manifestaciones absurdas, por más engañosas y conflictivas que sean.