Coca Cola Should Act Responsibly in India

It is known as one of the biggest companies in the world. The fact that it is found in almost every country where it has provided employment opportunities to thousand of people is inevitable. Coca-Cola is being trusted and appreciated by many.

However, to some people somewhere in the world, Coca Cola is no longer a blessing but a curse.

In India, for about ten years the largest Coca-Cola plant is being accused of putting thousands of farmers out of work by draining the water that feeds their wells, and poisoning the land with waste sludge that the company claims is fertilizer.

The plant in the southern state of Kerala is designed to satisfy the demand for Coke in what has become the multinational company's fastest growing market.

But its huge demand for water is causing such damage to the local economy that the village council which had granted the company a license to operate is now demanding the plant's closure.

It is with no doubt that when the plant was set back in 1998, Kerala people and their local government were happy that finally development was coming their way as they became the host of the bottle plant.

But today, coconut groves and vegetable crops have had to be abandoned because of the lack of water because the plant is said to be consuming about 1m litters per day.

Out of a population of 33, 387, 677 million in the area just 141 are employed at the plant, with a further 250 as casual laborers but still the income they get can never be more worthy to the environmental degradation caused by the Coca-Cola Plant.

Local people say the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada has caused severe water shortages for their community. They have been campaigning against the factory for three years.

In April 2004 the local village council refused to renew the factory’s licence. The factory has remained shut down since then.

But this decision was overruled just a year later by Kerala’s high court, prompting the council to renew the licence for three months with 13 conditions. Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, Coke’s Indian arm, refused this conditional licence, claiming that the council is acting beyond its powers.

In the latest government data obtained by the India Resource Center, groundwaterlevels 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)

With all these facts it is true that people and the environment are suffering big time as some capitalists gain more money in their bank accounts. It is time that Coca Coal should see the truth and walk the talk.

As the world believes in Coca Coal it is time for it to show what is called Corporate Social Responsibility especially to Kerala people.