THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been three months since the water bottling plant at Aruvikkara, run by the Kerala Irrigation Infrastructure Development Corporation (KIIDC), was launched. Soon after, 20-litre jars labelled ‘Hilly Aqua’ hit the market through Kudumbashree outlets. But the plant is yet to be fully operational.
The Rs 16-crore facility at Aruvikkara is the second Hilly Aqua plant in the state. The first one was launched in Thodupuzha. The brand aimed to provide clean packaged drinking water to the public at an affordable rate. Hilly Aqua is being sold at `13 per bottle, while most private players charge Rs 20 per bottle.
The fully automated plant at Aruvikkara had three products — the 20-litre jars, a 500ml bottle and 2-litre units. “Currently, we have been marketing the 20-litre jars through Kudumbashree. We haven’t been able to make much profit though. The Covid pandemic has affected the sales. We have been supplying them, to vaccination centres,” said Thilakan S, chief executive officer, KIIDC. They are on the lookout for more agencies to market the water bottles.
The official added that the delay in launching the other two products was caused by the absence of appropriate labelling machinery. “We have invited bids for the production of one-litre bottles. We plan to start it in two months,” said the official.
Apart from the additional production lines, KIIDC has also planned to install a reverse osmosis unit at the plant alleging that the current facility built by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will not be feasible in the long run.
“Though the water bottling plant at Aruvikkara was conceptualised by the KWA, it couldn’t implement the project because it failed to obtain the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India certifications. The state government eventually transferred control to KIIDC despite protests by employees’ union,” the official added.