AMC goes back tapping its Jal brand for 200ml water bottles

Ahmedabad: The civic body, after a halt, will turn the tap back on for 200ml bottles of its packaged water brand, Jal. It had ceased production of this capacity in 2019 following a phased ban on single-use plastic by the Centre. Since 2019, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) has been using 200ml and 1 litre bottles of other brands at its own events and at various committees, including the standing committee respectively, taking the expenditure to Rs 20 lakh to 25 lakh a year. On Friday, AMC's water and sewerage committee decided to reintroduce the 200ml bottles as demand for smaller water bottles at AMC's events and seminars has increased, forcing the corporation to rely on private brands, officials said. Also in the pipeline are production of alkaline alkaline water packaged in glass bottles.
In 2014, AMC commissioned its packaged drinking water plant on the Kotarpur water treatment plant premises with a 3,000 LPH capacity. It named the brand Jal, and produced and sold 200ml, 500ml, and 1-litre water bottles. In 2019, the 200ml package was discontinued. An AMC source said, "Before the plant was commissioned, the corporation would spend Rs 40 lakh to 50 lakh annually on packaged water bottles for its events. The then municipal commissioner D Thara approved a plan to establish a water bottling plant."The source added, "Although the Rs 1.25-crore plant was ready in 2014, it did not become operational until around 2016 under the brand, Jal. Production of 200ml, 500ml and 1,000ml bottles began. These were approved for sale at parlours in all AMC gardens and for supply at AMC events. For three years, the brand's 200ml and 500ml bottles were used at AMC events. In 2019, the Centre began implementing a phased ban on single-use plastics, leading the then commissioner to ban the 200ml Jal bottles, allowing only the supply of 500ml and 1 litre bottles. Hence, the AMC has decided to restart production of 200ml bottles," the source said.