This story is from June 16, 2019

Chennai: Getting your bubble-top cans may become harder

Those depending on canned water for drinking have more to worry now — it may get harder to get a can from your vendor in the coming days. With supply dwindling, customers have started to wait longer to get a can
Chennai: Getting your bubble-top cans may become harder
Picture used for representational purpose only
CHENNAI: Those depending on canned water for drinking have more to worry now — it may get harder to get a can from your vendor in the coming days. With supply dwindling, customers have started to wait longer to get a can. The 1 lakh-odd small retail shops selling canned drinking water in Chennai are also facing the heat. Two shops in Vadapalani closed down on Thursday morning as they were unable to get cans from their suppliers.

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Bubble-top manufactures draw water from private and commercial borewells across Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur. With borewells drying, another crisis that looms over the water packaging industry is the extraction guidelines being prepared by the public works department, which may not allow manufacturers to draw water from borewells for more than 12 hours a day.
Metrowater and PWD officials confirmed to TOI that a draft report on guidelines for water extraction would be published in the gazette soon. “Once approved by the government, we will implement it,” said an official.
“For the past 15 days, the number of sources we extract water from has reduced to almost half as borewells have gone dry,” said S Anandha Rajan, owner of Krishna Water Service, a small-scale canned water manufacturer and supplier. “We used to supply water within three hours of receiving an order. Now, it takes a day or more. Eateries are closing down because we are unable to supply on time,” he said.
N Kannan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, told TOI that the situation was worrisome. “The groundwater is depleting at a faster pace than expected and all the sources have dried up. Not a single manufacturing facility is running in full capacity. Tankers are too expensive for us. If it doesn’t rain, we will have no choice but to close the units,” he said.

Of the 452 registered packaged water manufacturers in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, only 26 are in Chennai. “Almost all the retail shops in Chennai are dependent on groundwater in neighbouring villages, which is becoming a scarce commodity now,” said Akilan, of Athinandan Packaged Drinking Water.
V Santhanam, a social activist from Chromepet, said they had been getting a delayed supply from their bubbletop vendor for the past 15 days. “I book well ahead, but I foresee a huge scarcity,” he said.
B Kannan, secretary of T Nagar Resident Welfare Association said government should fix rates for water cans. “Tankers have already hiked rates. We are worried drinking water can prices will also skyrocket in a few days,” he said.
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