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NEWS ALERTS | Mehdiganj fights back Coca-Cola’s groundwater overuse
Mehdiganj fights back Coca-Cola’s groundwater overuse

Mehdiganj fights back Coca-Cola’s groundwater overuse

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published Published on Dec 8, 2015   modified Modified on May 6, 2016

Varanasi, which is known as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency during 2014, has hit the headlines recently due to people's struggle for water rights.

Altogether 18 village councils (Gram Panchayats) of Varanasi have written recently to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to stop overexploitation of groundwater by the Coca-Cola bottling plant, which is situated in Mehdiganj (please click here to access their letters).  

The village councils, which have complained, are situated within a 5 km radius of the Coca-Cola bottling plant. The bottling plant of Coca-Cola, which received license from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, is in existence since 1999. Its operation has led to water shortages in the nearby villages, the village councils have contended. Last year Government authorities declared the groundwater around Coca-Cola’s bottling plant in Mehdiganj, which is located in Arajiline block of Varanasi, as “over-exploited” (please click here to access the document). 

The demand made by the village councils has come at a time when the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) made changes in the guidelines concerning groundwater exploitation/ abstraction.

The new guidelines issued by CGWA, which came into effect on 16 November 2015 mentions that water intensive industries are required to take 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) even if they have been in operation since a long time.  

Civil society organizations believe that the new guidelines will strengthen the demand made by the 18 village councils to shut down the plant at Mehdiganj. However, a recent article by Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar, published in TheWire.in (dated 21 November, 2015), informs us that the new guidelines will actually allow industries to use groundwater in water stressed areas subject to the condition that they can exploit a certain quantity of water if groundwater is recharged. In fact, the recent guidelines issued by the CGWA says that ground water withdrawal will be limited as follows:

  Category
   Ground Water Withdrawal Limit
 Safe  The withdrawal should not exceed 200% of the recharged quantity.
 Semi-Critical The withdrawal should not exceed 100% of the recharged quantity.
 Critical The withdrawal should not exceed 50% of the recharged quantity.
 Over-Exploited    No permission for Industries under this category.


In his article, Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar has argued that the recent guidelines by CGWA fails to specify strict measuring and monitoring mechanisms for groundwater recharge.

As per the new guidelines, water intensive industries shall not be granted NOC for ground water withdrawal in “over-exploited” areas. Since the Government authorities had categorized groundwater in Arajiline block as “over-exploited” in 2014 (as mentioned above), the demand of the village councils to shut down the Coca-Cola bottling plant is in line with the new guidelines issued by CGWA. 

As per the CGWA document, the water intensive industries comprise:

a. Mineral water plant
b. Tannery
c. Distillery
d. Brewery
e. Soft drink
f. Paper & pulp
g. Fertilizer
h. Textile Dyeing
i. Textile Printing
j. Textile spinning
k. Sugar
l. Dairy Product
m. Water park & amusement center

Since many years villagers, who are dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood security, have complained that the operation of the bottling plant at Mehdigunj has reduced water availability for irrigation and drinking purposes.

The website of India Resource Center, which calls itself an international campaigning organization, says that the village councils had also written a letter in April 2013 objecting to Coca-Cola's plans to expand the bottling plant in Mehdiganj. After a sustained international campaign to stop Coca-Cola to spread out, the government rejected Coca-Cola's plans for expansion in August 2014 (please click link 1).

The website of the NGO Asha for Education says that the Mehdiganj community has been facing the following issues due to the local Coca-Cola bottling plant:

1. Depletion of ground water
2. Encroachment of land by the plant
3. Toxic wastes generated from the plant
4. Unfair practices like evasion of stamp duty and violation of labour laws
5. Fake cases filed by Coca-cola against the employees and peaceful protestors who represented the community


References:

Press Release: Stop Water for Coca-Cola: 18 Village Councils in India, 26 November, 2015, http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2015/1027.html

Guidelines/Criteria for evaluation of proposals/requests for ground water abstraction (With effect from 16th November, 2015), Central Ground Water Authority, please click here to access

Letters written to UP Pollution Control Board by Gram Panchayats (dated 26 November, 2015), please click here to access
 
Letter written by India Resource Centre to Central Ground Water Authority (dated 27 August, 2014), please click here to access
 
Water Conditions Worsen Around Coca-Cola Plant, Declared “Over-Exploited”, 18 November, 2014, http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2014/1031.html

15 Village Councils Reject Coca-Cola Plans, 18 April, 2013, http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2013/1008.html

Coca-Cola Forced to Abandon $25 Million Project in India, 25 August, 2014, http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2014/1027.html

Mehdiganj Struggle, Asha for Education, please click here to access

New Groundwater Rules Raise Hope of End to Industry Freeloading -Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar, TheWire.in, 21 November, 2015, please click here to access
 
Image Courtesy: Himanshu Joshi


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