THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bottled drinking water sales have picked up across parts of the city in March, with suppliers and retailers attributing the rise largely to the onset of summer and the sharp daytime heat.
While the ongoing election campaign has added to vehicular movement on roads and in neighbourhoods, those in the trade said the increase is primarily seasonal, with bottled water becoming a regular purchase for commuters, workers and people spending long hours outdoors.
The overlap of the election season with rising temperatures has, however, made the trend more visible this year, particularly at petty shops, roadside stores and small retail outlets where people tend to stop for quick purchases during the day.
Suppliers contacted by the TNIE said the current rise follows the pattern usually seen during the hotter months. Gini, a supplier at Alain Water Supply, said demand had gone up in March as temperatures climbed.
“The increase is mainly because of the summer and the heat,” he said, adding that the present demand reflects the usual seasonal rise in bottled water consumption. A similar trend was reported by SB Water Supplies, where supplier Ayyappan said the increase was in line with what is seen every year when summer intensifies.
“Every summer, there is an increase in bottled water sales for some time. This year too, there is that increase,” he said. Suppliers said demand tends to rise sharply during afternoon hours, when people travelling or working outdoors increasingly rely on bottled water as a quick and convenient option.
At the retail level, shopkeepers said election-related movement has also contributed to sales in some pockets, though not in a way that changes the larger summer-driven trend.
Babu K P, who runs a petty shop, said campaign workers and others moving through the locality often stop to buy bottled water along with other essentials. “People involved in campaigning do buy mineral water when they pass through. But the main reason for the increase is the summer,” he said. For many roadside retailers, the election effect is not visible in bulk buying or organised supply, but in repeated small purchases made through the day by people on the move. Campaign volunteers, drivers, local workers and residents travelling in the heat are among those adding to retail turnover, particularly in areas that see steady footfall.
Those in the trade said the present rise is less about any one specific trigger and more about the combination of weather and daily movement. Summer remains the main factor, but the election season has added to daytime outdoor activity at a time when hydration becomes a practical necessity.
The pattern is especially evident in neighbourhood shops and transit points, where bottled water has shifted from being an occasional add-on to a near-routine purchase.With campaign activity, travel and regular outdoor work all under rising temperatures, retailers said demand has remained steady through March.