Alertan que la India se quedará sin agua en cuestión de años

Un informe señala que para 2030 la demanda de agua en la nación será dos veces mayor a la oferta disponible.

La India enfrenta la peor crisis de agua potable en su historia, un problema que actualmente somete a 600 millones de indios a una escasez de agua entre alta y extrema, alerta un informe de NITI Aayog, un centro de estudios del Gobierno.

El documento, citado por medios locales, señala que cerca de 200.000 ciudadanos mueren cada año a causa de un acceso inadecuado a este recurso vital. Y la situación solo empeorará en un futuro cercano debido a que, según las estimaciones del estudio, para 2030 la demanda de agua doblará la oferta disponible.

Según el centro, esto significa que cientos de millones de personas en la India pueden enfrentar escasez de agua y que el país sufrirá una pérdida de hasta el 6 % del PIB. Asimismo, predice que 21 grandes ciudades pueden agotar sus reservas de agua subterránea ya en 2020, lo que afectará a 100 millones de personas.

El informe, que cita datos de agencias independientes, apunta a que casi el 70 % del agua del país está contaminada.

 

Coca-Cola India unveils low-calorie beverage Aquarius

Coca-Cola India is launching beverage brand Aquarius in India to tap into the nascent active hydration category.

Aquarius, which is part of its global portfolio, is a non-carbonated and low calorie beverage which contains sodium, calcium and potassium and will be available in 400-ml pack at ₹30.

This is the second key launch this year by Coca-Cola India after it forayed in the flavoured milk segment through brand Vio earlier this year.

The company said Aquarius will initially be made available across organised trade, e-commerce and select grocery outlets across major cities in India.

Active hydration segment

Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice-President, Marketing and Commercial, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said: "Aquarius is one of the top 20 billion dollar brands of The Coca-Cola Company and is very popular globally. In India, it is aimed at shaping the category of active hydration, targeted at young and urban consumers who are active-minded and lead active lifestyles."

He said that the company believes the nascent active hydration segment is set to see exponential growth in the coming years. "With its refreshing lemon flavour, the new product aims to establish new consumption occasions for consumers for their busy, on-the-go lifestyle," he added.

"We believe this will only increase in coming years and the category of active hydration will see an exponential growth."

Coca-Cola India will back up the launch with a strong communication plan using select digital, print, OOH and point of sales campaign.

Earlier this year, archrival PepsiCo India had also launched 7 UP Revive which is also positioned in the active hydration space.