Ubiquitous red Coca-Cola sign, a new twist

Ubiquitous red Coca-Cola sign, a new twist

A release today from the India Resource Center says Coca-Cola has threatened Mr. Sharad Haksar, one of India's celebrated photographers, with a lawsuit due to the billboard you see reprinted above in this post.

India has been experianceing serious water shortages in some areas and part of it is being exasperated according to some, due to the water requirements of Coca-Cola. In their release
the India Resource Center adds...

"The billboard highlights the severe water shortages being experienced by communities that live around Coca-Cola's bottling plants across India. A community close to Chennai, in Gangaikondan, has already held large protests -
protesting against an upcoming Coca-Cola plant. In the neighboring state of Kerala, in the village of Plachimada, Coca-Cola has been unable to open its bottling facility for the last 16 months - because the community will not allow it to."

Check out the information at the India Resource Center. They have more on the communities concerns and experiances with Coca-Cola.

FAX ACTION: Coca-Cola: STOP Destroying Lives, Livelihoods and Communities in India

Old story here but worth noting, farmers in India can always use Coke on the fields according to this report in the Guardian from November 2, 2004.

"Instead of paying hefty fees to international chemical companies for patented pesticides, they are reportedly spraying their cotton and chilli fields with Coca-Cola."~ John Vidal, Tuesday November 2, 2004 The Guardian

Tags: Sharad Haksar, coca cola, India, water, globalization, poverty, asia, art