NEW DELHI: Taking a grim view of packaged drinking water industry flouting norms, a Parliamentary standing committee panel has asked the government to bring in robust regulations and to tax large companies, besides barring exploitation of groundwater.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources highlighted the large number of samples failing basic quality tests to seek better mechanism for ensuring strict checks.
It drew the government’s notice to the issue of multiple agencies involved in the regulation of these units.
“The Committee is perplexed to note that despite the laid down stipulations, a large number of licenses have been given in States where significant number of over-exploited (groundwater) units are lying, such as Andhra Pradesh (41 units), Gujarat (24 units), Karnataka (63 units), Tamil Nadu (374 units) and Uttar Pradesh (111 units),” it stated, recommending that these units be mandatorily asked to source raw material only from surface water or areas which receive regular and heavy rainfall.
As per government data, the packaged drinking water plants are extracting 13.3 Million Cubic Metres of groundwater annually.
The panel, while quoting the submission of the FSSAI, said the reverse osmosis process of these plants could lead to hardness of groundwater and other pollution.
Recommending taxation on these units, the panel argued it would discourage wastage.
“The imposition of tax at higher rates can be an effective deterrent against indiscriminate use of groundwater.
The government can use the revenue for taking alternative measures to increase accessibility of safe drinking water to the poorer sections of the society.” It urged the government to explore the PPP mode to provide potable water in rural areas affected by arsenic, fluoride contamination.

Pleass Global Limited, the proprietors of popular bottled water brand AquaSafe, has announced it will reduce the plastic in the packaging of the product.
“As part of the overall plan, we want to reduce plastic used for production and waste,” Mr Pleass said.
We are also proud that our bottles use less plastic to make than all our competitors in Fiji.” Mr Pleass does not believe the company’s sales or customers will be affected.
Mr Pleass said: “To us there is no justification for making multi-packs and certainly no purpose for that plastic wrapper once it is torn off, and we believe most consumers understand this.” Removing machines used to package the bottled from the company’s production line has come at a cost, he said.
“That was a cost to us because they were almost new and was supposed to work for many more years,” Mr Pleass said.
Overall it does contribute to the wider green economy.” The United Nations recently declared a war on plastics, aiming to eliminate major sources of plastics by 2022.
They are concerned, among other things, with the impact plastics are having on the marine ecosystem.
In its campaign, the UN is urging Governments to plastic reduction policies that target industries to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products.
“Fiji, like many countries, has a littering problem,” Mr Pleass said.
“An important first step is for us to stop littering.

Manganese has been found in higher than state advisory levels in water samples collected in mid-June in town wells and at 182 Plain St. and 250 East Main St., water officials said.
Manganese is necessary for normal immune system function, digestion and bone strength.
At elevated levels, manganese could produce neurological effects with some variation in sensitivity between individuals, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Residents are advised that infant formula should be prepared with bottled water or made with water from an alternate source with manganese levels below 0.3 mg/L.
Residents are reminded the town has a free water dispenser outside town hall that filters out manganese and is safe to use for baby formula.
If water customers have health-related concerns about manganese, they are advised to contact their health care provider.
"People are going to expect clean water" when the plant goes on line, Selectman Robert Salvo said.
"People are very frustrated.
Selectmen are asking water officials, including the water and sewer commission members, to come before their board to discuss the issues.
Selectmen also remind residents there is an opening on the water and sewer commission that needs to be filled.

"Why they can’t fix the pipes in the water so the kids won’t be missing so many days of school," said Denill Holmes.
Holmes is one of many parents in St. Joseph who are nervous.
“Some parents don’t want them at home."
She’s considering not sending her grandson to school on Monday because she thinks it’s still not safe there.
"I just told them don’t drink it and I’ll buy water and give it to them," she said.
"If we don’t know what they’re drinking at this high school or this elementary school here, then it’s putting our children’s lives at stake," Johnson said.
"At this point, it’s not just a St. Joseph issue, it’s a parish-wide issue,” said Janie Jones.
“So we need to make sure that every child in this parish has access to clean water at the schools."
The school board says they’ve replaced all the water fountains in the buildings, and have been flushing the water every day.
"Change the pipes, then put in the water," Johnson said.

After a water main break July 31 left the Creekside Mobile Home Park without clean water for days, the Lewisville community has stepped up to make sure residents have something to drink.
A week later, help continues to flow to residents.
The morning after the park lost water, Aug. 1, management requested the city’s help to get water to the residents.
The city contacted the Salvation Army, which passed out cases of bottled water to residents.
Documents obtained by The Lewisville Texan Journal show numerous repeated Texas Commission on Environmental Quality violations by the Creekside system over the past five years.
For Lewisville community members Dealynn Richard and Terry Hayes, one day wasn’t enough.
With the help of donations from the community, Richard said she brought 130 cases the next day.
Richard said she passed out 100 more cases the Monday after that.
“If anyone says anything, what they do is they go around and they start fining.” Richard said she and Hayes were organizing community members to meet off the premises so they can speak freely.
She said park residents who want to be involved, or Lewisville community members who want to donate toward water for park residents, can contact Richard at 214-418-8719, her daughter Rochelle Richard at 214-477-2425 or find Hayes on Facebook.

With a heat wave enveloping much of Western Canada this weekend, a Winnipeg shelter is hoping to hydrate the city’s most vulnerable.
The Main Street Project, which provides a safe place for residents dealing with homelessness and addiction, said even though their supply of bottled water has been stacking up they could still use more as the temperature increases.
“During a time when it’s not a heat wave, we go through over a thousand bottles a month and that definitely increase substantially when we’re experiencing a heat wave.
So these donations are very, very helpful to us," said Cindy Titus the communications and fund development coordinator for the shelter.
Donations can be dropped off at the back of 661 Main St. during business hours which run Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. To donate after regular hours, the bottled water can be taken to 71 Martha St. Main Street Project reminds people to call for help if you see someone on the street struggling from the heat.

Pokhara, August 8 District Administration Office Kaski has sealed Dhital Natural Water Industry and Annapurna Water Industry after it detected coliform in the water distributed in the market.
DAO locked Dhital Natural Water Industry today while it shut down Annapurna Water Industry six days ago for distributing dirty water.
Consumers’ Forum Gandaki Province Chair Kapilnath Koirala said Annapurna Water Industry was sealed as the test showed coliform in the water sample collected from the industry.
Koirala said the water had bacteria that was fatal for human beings.
“We have started to take action against those alleged industries as such water could cause serious illness,” Koirala added.
DAO had sent the water sample from five water companies for test six days ago.
The test showed coliform in two water industries.
Dhital Natural Water Industry Proprietor Lil Bahadur Biswokarma said his industry was distributing around 400 jars of bottled water in the market on a daily basis.
Food Inspector Bhumika Pradhan said contaminated water causes diarrhoea and common cold.
A version of this article appears in print on August 09, 2018 of The Himalayan Times.

That means an end to vendors selling $1 bottles of water, even on Dollar Day, the last day of the fair, Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner said today.
At the same time, the fair is adding more water stations throughout the fairgrounds, so fairgoers can more easily fill up reusable bottles for free, he said.
In past years, state fair vendors bought bottled water from various sources.
Under this year’s system, all fair vendors must buy cases of 20-ounce bottles of Aquafina water for $7.50 each.
The fair will get back about $1 for every case, Waffner said.
The vendors, in turn, must sell the bottled water at a minimum of $2.
Jim Hasbrouck, who runs the Fried Specialties stands at the fair, says the $2 price is cheaper than what he sees at other state fairs.
He said he saw water selling for $5 a bottle at the Florida State Fair.
This year, the fair is spending about $2.1 million on free acts at Chevy Court and another $500,000 on entertainment at the Exposition Center, Waffner said.
Waffner said contract to sell the Aquafina water is for one year.

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MOUNT OLIVE TWP.
– Longstanding effects of pollution caused by the Combe Fill North Superfund landfill in Budd Lake have come to an end with completion of a water line that is bringing water to homes and businesses from a public water tank.
The homes and businesses had to stop using well-water in March 2016 after the water was found to have been contaminated from the Superfund site.
The grant pays for installation of the new line, new service lines to homes and the costs of sealing existing wells.
"I’m happy that it’s finally done but it’s unfortunate it took so long," said Mayor Rob Greenbaum.
The 1,4-dioxane was discovered in monitoring wells at the dump at a level of 26 parts per billion.
The findings triggered the tests at the properties outside of the dump’s perimeter.
Unacceptable levels of 1, 4-dioxane, a potentially cancer causing chemical, were found in one well in November 2014, marking the first time contaminants were discovered to have migrated off site to a drinking well since the polluted landfill was closed under the federal Superfund program in 1986.
In 1979, groundwater beneath the site was found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as were private residential wells near the site.
The landfill was not properly closed when its owner, Combe Fill Corp., went bankrupt in 1981.