THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hilly Aqua, the packaged drinking water brand of the state-run Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIIDC), is set for expansion. Not many know that 1l bottle of the brand is available for Rs 15 while private companies charge Rs 20.
The product is available for Rs 10 at nine food outlets run by the prisons department in different districts, a major retailer of the Hilly Aqua. It is available for the same price at the outlets attached to the two manufacturing plants of the corporation.
KIIDC chief executive officer S Thilakan said the corporation plans to expand its operations by setting up a new plant at Peruvannamuzhi in Kozhikode. The government has given an in-principle sanction for the project which would utilise water from the Kuttiyadi reservoir. The project will help the company have a presence in North Kerala.
“The main highlight of our product is that it is made from surface water while most of the private players use groundwater. It requires additional purification measures to eliminate the heavy metal content in groundwater,” says Thilakan.
The KIIDC has manufacturing plants at Aruvikkara in Thiruvananthapuram and Thodupuzha in Idukki. The units source water from the Aruvikkara reservoir and the Malankara Dam, respectively. Both plants are mechanised with modern techniques and equipment for purification and bottling.
A proposal to increase the working hours at the Aruvikkara plant is also being discussed, the CEO said.
“At present, the unit works for eight hours a day during which an average of 30,000 bottles are manufactured. Working for another four hours will help us increase the production to 45,000 bottles. The Thodupuzha plant already follows this pattern,” he said. Efforts are on to strengthen the distribution network as well.