COIMBATORE: For Chennai residents, this is nothing new. The city thrives on packaged drinking water and water business is among the most lucrative.
But for Coimbatore, the shift has just begun. The city has always relied on Corporation supply for its needs. But not anymore.
“We receive very less drinking water from the Corporation. We need around six to 10 water cans daily. Since the taste of pipe water is not good, we have shifted to packaged drinking water,” said a resident near Podanur.
The trend is catching up with eateries and bakeries as well. “It is 20 days since we received drinking water in our area. We don’t have any other choice, but to buy water. I get four pots of drinking water from lorries arranged by Corporation and it is not sufficient to cook food. Daily, we spend over `200 to buy water cans. But the price varies among suppliers and is based on demand,” said Shakila Begum from Edayarpayalam, who owns a mobile eatery in VOC Park.
“I buy packaged water bottles and cans in bulk from an agent in the city. There is a steady sale as relatives of many patients from hospitals buy them,” said K C Anirudhan, owner of a bakery near Pankaja Mills Road.
The monthly sale of water cans has increased to 7,000-plus in a month in Coimbatore. A water can supplier in the city, Siddique said, “Water is the main demand for the past one-and-a-half months. We sell around 370 packaged water cans per day and the business has increased two-fold. This happened after the city stopped receiving drinking water supply properly.”
The price of a 20-litre water can is `30, he added.
But is the water safe? “Of the 74 water supply dealers, only 64 in the city have a proper licence from the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” said O L S Vijay, Designated Officer, FSSAI, Coimbatore.
“We are conducting various campaign drives around the city to prevent adulteration, but one can say the dealer is good-to-go when the product is certified with ISI mark and a licence from the FSSAI,” Vijay added.