Wanaparthy faces a serious issue with fake mineral water being sold freely. These bottles, falsely labeled with popular brand names, are available in places like wine shops, bars, and grocery stores. Allegations suggest that food safety officials, possibly influenced by bribes, are not stopping the sale of this adulterated water.
Residents are worried about unauthorized and unlicensed mineral water plants operating in the district. These plants lack basic standards and allegedly use water from the well-regarded Ramanpadu Project, part of Mission Bhagiratha. Instead of proper purification, they minimally filter or skip filtering altogether, selling the water at high prices as “mineral water.”
Initially, water sellers presented themselves as entrepreneurs, misleading the public. Fake labels resembling brands like Bisleri, Kinley, and Tata Water are reportedly used on cheap bottles, bought for Rs 20 per 10 liters and sold at Rs 25 per liter. Regulations require Food Safety Officers to inspect water samples every three months, but this seems neglected. No plants adhere to ISI standards.
Households need about 20 liters of drinking water daily. With no safe alternatives, people are forced to buy this so-called “mineral water,” fueling the issue. Unregulated water is being bottled into one-liter containers and sold at bus stands and railway stations for Rs 25 each.
Despite the previous TRS government‘s promises under Mission Bhagiratha to provide piped water to every home in the district, implementation is lacking. The Ramanpadu Project supplies water daily, but it’s often unfiltered and muddy, leading residents to avoid it.
Locals are calling on the district collector to urgently crack down on fake mineral water plants and counterfeit sales and to inspect implicated wine shops and grocery stores.
