At a time when rising global temperatures have led to increasing drought, Coca-Cola has come under fire for its excessive and sometimes illegal drain on water resources. In a key example coming out of Mexico, HipLatina has reported that in the drought-stricken state of Chiapas, a Coca-Cola bottling plant is extracting over 300,000 gallons of water per day, while residents go without.
What's happening?
Under normal circumstances, Chiapas is Mexico's wettest region. It produces 30% of the country's fresh water supply with plentiful rainfall.
For the last few years, however, Chiapas has been experiencing severe drought. Only about a third of the local residents have access to drinking water in their homes, and residents — mostly women and girls — might spend hours a day walking to carry water for their families.
Despite these conditions, the Coca-Cola plant — which sits beside the Huitepec volcano basin — is first in line for water from that source. The plant uses it to produce soft drinks and food, thereby ultimately shipping the precious water out of the community.
The lack of water access and the chokehold Coca-Cola has on the region are so severe that residents drink more Coke than water. It comes to about 2.2 liters per day, according to El Heraldo de Chiapas, making the state, by some estimations, Earth's biggest Coke consumer per capita.
Why is Coca-Cola's water usage important?
Residents in Chiapas are consuming huge amounts of sugar daily, with expected impacts on their health. Diabetes mortality rose by 30% between 2013 and 2016, for example.
Meanwhile, residents lack access to water, something that is considered a basic necessity for human life.
"It's sad. We can't bathe. We can't drink. We can't clean water," resident Silvia Perez Mendez told CBS This Morning in 2021.
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Should the government be allowed to restrict how much water we use? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 💯 Continuing to drain water in the midst of a drought could not only harm the population but also the surrounding tropical environment. And it could have devastating effects for anyone who relies on the local plants and animals for a living.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is barely even paying for the privilege of hoarding the water of Chiapas, HipLatina reported.
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What's being done about water shortages?
While Coca-Cola says it "seeks to return" the water it uses in "high-risk" locations, residents have not seen a difference.
But activists and nonprofits like the We Are Water Foundation, Agua y Vida, and Cántaro Azul are protesting and lobbying to change the way their country handles water rights. Cántaro Azul's "Plan de Justicia Hídrica para Chiapas," published this year, calls for a sustainable water system and protection of water as a human right.
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