PepsiCo May Face Further Restrictions On Use Of Groundwater In Kerala
The government had declared the entire state drought-hit as far back as October 2016.
The Kerala government on Wednesday said it plans to further restrict use of groundwater by soft drink major PepsiCo at Palakkad in view of a severe drought in the state.
"The government will take stern measures to restrict usage of groundwater due to prevailing drought and if possible stop Pepsico from drawing it at its plant at Puthussery in Palakkad by using the power vested with it under the State Disaster Management Act," Minister for Water Resources Mathew T Thomas told the Assembly on Wednesday.
Under these special circumstances, the company has to reduce its use of water and the government would take all possible steps in this regard, he said. The minister said the State Disaster Management Authority had already issued a notice to PepsiCo to reduce its consumption by 75 percent. The company responded by saying that it was brought down its water usage to 1.5 lakh litres per day from February 3. The company has seven bore wells and used to consume about 6.5 lakh litres per day.
Thomas was replying to a submission by CPI(M) veteran and Chairman of State Administrative Reforms Committee VS Achuthanandan, seeking steps to check use of groundwater by the soft drink manufacturer.
The government had declared the entire state drought-hit in October 2016 due to the rainfall deficiency. Water levels of all major reservoirs in Kerala has also declined.