According to sources the kerala government has announced a price ceiling for bottled water being sold across the state, after recognising it as an 'essential commodity'. The cap for bottled water which now has a retail price of Rs 20 per litre will be fixed at Rs 13. Meanwhile apart from the price regulation, the government has decided to make BIS water quality standards mandatory for all bottled water brands to weed out illegal manufacturers.
Furthermore the decision to fix a price cap was taken during an audit on bottled drinking water manufacturers. In 2018, at a meeting convened between the state government and these manufacturers, it was decided to fix the price ceiling at Rs 12 per litre. However, this decision could not be implemented as it was opposed by a few players. In 2020, the price ceiling of Rs 13 per litre was announced after chief minister pinarayi vijayan signed the Food Department Proposal.
When speaking to the media, Food minister P Thilothaman had said that including bottled drinking water in the list of essential commodities allowed the state to fix the price cap on these brands. P Thilothaman told “We have added it under the list of essential articles. This means that no private bottled drinking water manufacturers can sell their product at more than the fixed cap. This will remain uniform across the state". Reportedly kerala has around 300 brands of bottled drinking water. The kerala Bottled Water Manufacturers’ Association, which has about 100 members, welcomed the state government's move. However, it is likely that disgruntled manufacturers will approach court.
