The Plachimada Coca-Cola struggle was a series of protests to close the
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
factory in the village of Plachimada,
Palakkad District,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
in the early 2000s. Villagers noted that soon after the factory opened, their
well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
s started to run dry and the available
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
turned contaminated and toxic.
Soon, waste from the factory was passed off to farmers in the area as fertiliser. The controversy became "one of the most studied corporate controversies" in recent times.
History of Plachimada Plant
HCCB’s Plachimada plant was launched and became operational in 2000. The 34.64 acres of HCCB factory produced beverages
Limca
Limca is an Indian multinational brand of lemon- and lime-flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S. It contains 60 calories per 150ml can. The formula does not include fruit, relying instead on arti ...
,
Fanta
Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...
,
Thums Up
Thums Up is an Indian multinational brand of cola in India. It was introduced in 1977 to offset the withdrawal of The Coca-Cola Company from India. The brand was later bought by Coca-Cola who re-launched it in order to fight against Pepsi to c ...
,
Sprite,
Kinley and
Maaza
Maaza (pronounced "Mahza") is a Coca-Cola fruit drink brand from India and marketed in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. Its most popular drink is its mango fruit drink.
History
The Union Beverages Factory, based in the UAE, began selling it ...
etc. Over 400 local residents were provided direct employment.
The factory was closed from 2004 to May 2021 following local agitations. In July 2017
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beveragesinformed the
Supreme Court that it does not intend to commence manufacturing operations at its plant located at Plachimada
(
Palakkad district) in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. The Bench comprising Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul made a note of the statement and in its order dated July 13, 2017, stated, “We record the aforesaid statement and, therefore, dispose of these appeals as being become infructuous in terms of the signed order.”
The court was hearing seven civil appeals on the issue. The petitioners’ counsels decided not to oppose the issue.
History of Plachimada Struggle
On 22 April 2002, the villagers, mostly
Adivasi
The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...
, began to protest in front of the factory by blocking its entrance. The impromptu protest continued and lasted for years, by gathering support from environmental groups, locals and national political parties and activists. Continued protests and litigation eventually helped the people of Plachimada to shut down the factory in March 2004.
While a government committee estimated the damages to be around 216
crore (
$30 million), compensation has yet to be paid to the villagers.
On 8 October 1999, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private (HCBLP), a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company, applied for a license at
Perumatty panchayat to establish a factory in Plachimada. On 27 January 2000 the company was granted permission to open the factory. The firm purchased a roughly plot, which had previously been used to cultivate
paddy,
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small and ...
s and vegetables. The factory employed 130 permanent workers and approximately 250 temporary laborers. Brands produced at the Plachimada factory included
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
,
Limca
Limca is an Indian multinational brand of lemon- and lime-flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S. It contains 60 calories per 150ml can. The formula does not include fruit, relying instead on arti ...
,
Fanta
Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...
,
Thums Up
Thums Up is an Indian multinational brand of cola in India. It was introduced in 1977 to offset the withdrawal of The Coca-Cola Company from India. The brand was later bought by Coca-Cola who re-launched it in order to fight against Pepsi to c ...
,
Sprite,
Kinley Soda, and
Maaza
Maaza (pronounced "Mahza") is a Coca-Cola fruit drink brand from India and marketed in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. Its most popular drink is its mango fruit drink.
History
The Union Beverages Factory, based in the UAE, began selling it ...
. The factory used 500,000 litres of
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...
a day for its production after obtaining permission from
Perumatty panchayat, which was later confirmed by the
Kerala High Court.
Villagers living nearby the factory started reporting increased water pollution six months after the factory was opened. Accessing water for agricultural purposes became an issue.
The factory had also made a practice of distributing its
sludge
Sludge is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. For example, it can be produced as a settled suspension obtained from conventional ...
waste from the manufacturing process as free fertilizer to the villagers. In 2003, a BBC journalist visited the village to investigate the claims made by the villagers that the sludge was contaminated. As part of his reporting for BBC Radio 4's ''
Face the Facts
''Face the Facts'' was a consumer affairs programme on BBC Radio 4, featuring investigative journalism, that ran from the 1986 until 2015. Introduced by John Waite, cousin of the well-known humanitarian and churchman Terry Waite, it usually focuse ...
'', he has picked up samples of the sludge and sent to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to be analyzed. A lab at the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
found unacceptably high levels of
cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
and
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
in the sludge.
Lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
is toxic to human development and the nervous system, while
cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
is a documented
carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subs ...
.
Mounting pressure on the
Kerala Government
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
to shut down the factory,
Greenpeace Campaign Head
Ameer Shahul shared the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
analysis report to the
Kerala State Pollution Control Board and to the local media, and demanded permanent closure of the factory. Soon, the
Kerala State Pollution Control Board confirmed these test results and ordered
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
to stop distribution of its waste and to recover what had been dispersed in the past.
Protests
![Protest_by_Plachimada_people](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Protest_by_Plachimada_people.jpg)
After mounting evidence that
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
was polluting the environment and harming local citizens, the Coca-Cola Virudha Janakeeya Samara Samithy (Anti-Coca-Cola Peoples Struggle Committee) launched their protests on 22 April 2002 by blocking the entrance to the factory. Over 1,300 people participated in this protest,
mostly Adivasis and women.
Scientific tests were conducted on the water by Sargram Metals Laboratories in March 2002 which deemed the water unfit for "human consumption, domestic use and for irrigation."
The independent report was backed up by the government primary health center which also reported that the water was not potable in May 2003. Coca-Cola eventually admitted that there was an issue with the water, unrelated to their activities, and offered to provide drinking water to the community via trucks and to start
rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir ...
programs at the factory and in the community.
As the villagers maintained the protest outside the factory, support grew for the movement. In January 2004, a three-day International Water Conference at Plachimada was organized to bring together activists from around the world to discuss water issues. Two
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
s, Canadian
Maude Barlow
Maude Victoria Barlow (born May 24, 1947) is a Canadian author and activist. She is a founding member of the Council of Canadians, a citizens' advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada. She is also the co-founder of the Blue ...
and Indian
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalisation author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often referred to as "Gandh ...
, attended the conference and issued the Plachimada Declaration stating that "water is not a private property, not a commodity" but a common resource and a fundamental right.
Results
On 3 April 2003, the Perumatty panchayat revoked the license for the plant. Coca-Cola took the case to the
Kerala High Court, which at first sided with the firm, saying the panchayat's claims were unscientific and unfounded. The legal battle lasted years. At times, for example, between 8 and 15 August 2005, the plant operated, but eventually, the plant was closed permanently, after Coca-Cola declared it had no plans to restart bottling operations. In 2018, the factory sat empty with a few security guards.
In 2019, Coca-Cola submitted a proposal to turn the plant into a training center for local farmers.
The case was said to turn upon the legal doctrines of
public trust
The concept of public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government and its seminal idea that within the public lies the true power and future of a society; therefore, whatever ''trust'' citizens place in its officials must be respect ...
and the
polluter pays principle
In environmental law, the polluter pays principle is enacted to make the party responsible for producing pollution responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural environment. It is regarded as a regional custom because of the strong supp ...
, as well as the legal role of local government.
The wells are still contaminated and water must be piped in from a nearby village. A High Powered Committee has determined that the damage to the community amounts to 216.26 crores or (
$28 million). This figure was broken down into categories of agriculture loss, health damage, cost of providing water,
wage loss and
opportunity cost and the
cost of pollution of water resources. However, as of 2018, no compensation has been paid to the villagers.
Present status
In June 2021, as the Govt of Kerala approached the company, the factory was converted into a Covid First Line treatment center (CFLTC).
See also
*
Mayilamma
* ''
Oridathoru Puzhayundu
''Oridathoru Puzhayundu'' is a 2008 Malayalam environmental film directed by Kalavoor Ravikumar, written and screenplay by Jiju Asokan, starring K. B. Venu, Jenny (Meera Jasmine's sister), Jayasree Sivadas, Goutham Babu, Balachandran Chullikad et ...
'', a film based on these events.
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.coca-colaindia.com/about-us/will-not-restart-the-plachimada-plant--hindustan-coca-cola-tells, title = HCC to Supreme Court: Will Not Restart the Plachimada Plant]
Coca-Cola
Protests in India
History of Kerala (1947–present)
Environmental protests
Social movements in India
Palakkad district