In another push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's project Swachh Bharat Mission, the Centre wants to reduce plastic waste by curtailing the use of bottled water at official meetings. The move aims to avoid the use of harmful plastics and promote safe drinking water.
An April 28 circular issued by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation states that the Ministry has stopped using bottled water at functions, and requests all Central ministries and establishments to follow suit. It noted that some States too have stopped using bottled water at meetings.
The Sikkim government recently banned bottled water along with the use of plastics. Jammu & Kashmir also prohibits non-biodegradable plastics, while the Bihar government had taken similar measures in 2015.
In addition to meetings, the Water Ministry wants events conducted by subordinate and attached offices/public sector units to avoid bottled water and make alternative arrangements.
However, the bottled water industry has been growing rapidly over the years, with hundreds of small and big players doing brisk business in several states. This summer, seeing an opportunity in the water crisis, some of the firms have increased their prices. A bottle of mineral water costs Rs 20 now, a rise of Rs 8 from its earlier pricing of Rs 12.
According to Euromonitor International, the size of the still bottled water segment in India stood at Rs 121.3 billion in value terms and about 5.6 billion litres in volume terms in 2015.
