NEW DELHI — Coca-Cola suspended bottling at three plants in India, including one in the parched northwest where farmers have been protesting the company’s use of dwindling groundwater reserves.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, which is a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Co. based in Atlanta, said it was reorganizing operations across its 24 franchise bottling plants in India according to market demand and factory upgrades.

The company’s action, however, follows more than a decade of agitation by farmers in the state of Rajasthan, where groundwater levels have been plummeting.

Coca-Cola said it runs the Kaladera plant in Rajasthan “as a responsible corporate citizen,” and is collecting rainwater and trying to get more farmers to use drip irrigation, a more efficient method of watering crops.

India is depleting aquifers more quickly than any other country in the world. By 2030, it’s predict the nation will have just half the water it needs.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.