|
|
| Search | Site Map |
 |
|
COMMUNITY, RELIGIOUS AND STUDENT LEADERS ACROSS U.S. JOIN WITH ACTIVISTS IN INDIA, CHALLENGE COKE TO STOP DRAINING WATER FROM WORLD'S POOREST COMMUNITIES From Northeastern India to Atlanta, Georgia--Pressure Builds on Soft Drink Giant FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACTS: Atlanta--Two days before people across the U.S. sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, activists are calling on Coca-Cola to stop draining water from some of the world's poorest communities. Community and religious leaders, students and educators are speaking out against Coke's abusive practices in India, and delivering thousands of public comments to Coke headquarters in Atlanta and other facilities around the U.S. Today's activities in seven major U.S. cities, coordinated by Corporate Accountability International, are timed to coincide with a major non-violent protest in northeastern India, where thousands of people are gathering to demand an end to Coke's abuses. "Coke's practices are threatening the lives and livelihoods of people in communities in India. Thousands of people from those communities are coming together to reject Coke's abuses, and across the U.S. people are standing with them. Today, from northeastern India to Atlanta, Georgia--pressure on Coke is building," says Corporate Accountability International Campaigns Director Patti Lynn. As a result of Coke's water extraction, at least five communities across India face severe water shortages and health problems. In Plachimada, in southern India, Coke's water extraction has dried up hundreds of hand-pumped wells, leaving people without enough water for basic needs. In Mehdiganj, the site of today's protest in northeastern India, Coke has decreased the level of groundwater by 40 feet, leaving small farmers without enough water to irrigate their crops. Despite intense pressure from Coke, the local leadership of Mehdiganj last week called for the cancellation of Coke's license to operate there, citing the corporation's destruction in the community. According to reports in today from the non-violent protest march that is heading to the Coke bottling facility in Mehdiganj, Coke is trying to disrupt the march. Several cars registered to Coke and containing leaflets used to disrupt the march were confiscated earlier today by local police. People in the U.S. and India have been calling Indian authorities, urging them to protect people's right to participate in non-violent action and to ensure the safety of the marchers. Sandeep Pandey, National Convener of the National Alliance of People's Movements in India, is a leader of the march and a target of the disrupters. According to Pandey, "Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have changed the nature of the relationship between human beings and water. Earlier we used to draw as much water as we needed to fulfill our basic needs. But now Coke and Pepsi are indulging in, probably for the first time in the history of humankind, unlimited exploitation of underground water purely for profit-making." Coke's practices are part of a much larger problem of corporations contributing to a global water shortage. The United Nations estimates that two-thirds of the world's population will not have enough water by 2025 if current trends are not reversed. According to a former Vice President of the World Bank, "The wars of the 21st century will be fought over water." Coke's water depletion contributes to this problem and is making water shortage a reality right now for some communities. In the U.S. alone, Coke reportedly spent $1.7 million on federal lobbying in 2003, and Coke's PACs poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the 2004 election. Coke is a prime example of a corporation that does not abide by Corporate Accountability International's Standards of Political Conduct for Corporations. "Coke gets away with its abuses because of its tremendous economic and political clout. As more and more people come together--from Baltimore to San Francisco to Mehdiganj, India--Coke will be forced to change its ways," says Illai Kenney, a student environmental justice leader in Atlanta. Across the U.S., people are demanding that Coke stop stealing water, starting in India by never reopening its Plachimada plant, closing its plant in Mehdiganj, and paying for the damage it has done to affected communities. # # # Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. Through bold campaigns and a commitment to win, Corporate Accountability International and its members have scored major victories that protect people and save lives. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations--like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria--to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org.
|
|
