Mineral water firms make money thanks to floods

Though none of the mineral water manufacturers or distributors are willing to reveal the exact figures, all admit that the consumption of mineral water since the floods has gone up by at least 30 per cent. There are at least 17 companies manufacturing mineral water in the city.

The reasons attributed to the meteoric growth in the consumption of mineral water are many. After the floods, the underground water tanks have been contaminated in some places, while areas rendered without electricity have no means to harvest water from the bores. Many residing in such areas are surviving on the 20 litre mineral water jars. The consumption is largest in the areas of Vastrapur, Satellite, Bodakdev, Gurukul and Thaltej.

Says Vinod Nayak, owner of Yes mineral water, “Since Monday, we have been selling about 12,000 to 15,000 mineral water containers of 20 litre capacity.” Nayak further says, “I have 40 autorickshaws which deliver the bottles to the residences of the customers and even corporate houses.”

It is not just the households which are buying these jars. Nayak says, “Buildings like Samudra Annexe and Samrajya Complex alone consume about 80 jars daily. To meet the demand, I have to send three autorickshaws to each of the buildings every day.”

Another mineral water manufacturer Prakash Patel, owner of Helly Natural Mineral Water says, “There is an increase of about 30 to 35 per cent in the demand after the floods. Most of the demand is from the areas worst hit during the floods, like Vastrapur, Satellite, Bodakdev, Thaltej. In fact about 90 per cent of the demand is from these areas, while the other 10 per cent is spread over the rest of the city.”

Patel reasons, “Many housewives who call up to place the order say that the water they are getting in the taps is not potable. Erratic power supply has forced the others to buy mineral water as they are unable to pump water from underground bores.” Patel revealed that he sells about 10,000 to 15,000 litres of mineral water daily after the downpour of July 13.

Jainam Shah of Boss mineral water concurs, “The sales have risen by 30 to 40 per cent after the floods. Some housewives purchase from us on a regular basis, while there are others who buy mineral water when they see our trucks parked in their area,” Shah says.

A 20 litre jar of mineral water costs between Rs 20 and Rs 60, depending on the brand, but no one seems to mind paying when the health and well-being of the family is at stake.

Says Rita Gohil of Vastrapur, “The underground water tanks have been contaminated, so I don’t rely on water from the tank and shall continue to use mineral water for drinking and cooking until I am sure of the quality of water that is flowing out of the taps.”

Sunanda Shah of Satellite area voiced similar views, “I don’t want to compromise on my family’s health. I will use mineral water till the time I am convinced that the underground water is clean.” Sejal Sindhwani of Bodakdev says, “Monsoon is the time when water-borne diseases spread. After the floods, one has to be doubly careful”.

Those in the business feel that the boom will continue for another fortnight, as most of the customers who place the orders have asked the supply for about two weeks.