Plachimada Coca-Cola plant (India)
- Sludge containing cadmium was distributed as fertiliser. Down To Earth
A Kerala commission assessed compensation of Rs 216 crore against Hindustan Coca-Cola for groundwater withdrawal and the distribution of cadmium-containing sludge as fertiliser at Plachimada. Down To Earth later reported that the compensation had not been paid.
As reported: the Kerala commission assessed the amount in 2010; Down To Earth reported none paid. the sources reviewed give no exact date for the last check.
Status As of the latest research: a 2010 Kerala commission finding of Rs 216.26 crore compensation; Down To Earth reported it unpaid; no payment recorded.
- Hindustan Coca-Cola — Operated the beverage plant that drew groundwater at Plachimada; its earnings from the plant are not documented in the record. Down To Earth
- Villagers of Plachimada — The assessed compensation was not paid to them. Down To Earth
- Groundwater and farmland at Plachimada — About 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn; cadmium-containing sludge was distributed as fertiliser. Down To Earth
What happened
The record covers a beverage plant of Hindustan Coca-Cola at Plachimada, India, for the period 2000–2024. It concerns two matters: the withdrawal of groundwater and the distribution of sludge containing cadmium as fertiliser.
Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee, reported that about 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn at Plachimada.
In 2010 a Kerala commission found that Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay compensation of Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore) at Plachimada. Down To Earth reported at the time that cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser.
The Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada closed in 2004, according to Down To Earth. In a later report, which the research dates to about 2022 and associates with a 2010–2023 span, Down To Earth stated that the damage had been established but the compensation had not been paid. The research records the amount paid as zero and records no data on any personal penalty.
- 2004The Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada closed
- 2010A Kerala commission found Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore); cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser
- 2022Down To Earth reported that Plachimada was still awaiting the compensation (date approximate)
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- A Kerala commission found in 2010 that Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore) in compensation at Plachimada.
- Cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser.
- About 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn at Plachimada (Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee).
- The plant closed in 2004; the damage identified was not paid for (Down To Earth).
- Compensation paid, according to the sources reviewed: zero.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2010Claimant wonINR 2162600bn Rs 216.26 crore assessed; none paidKerala commission finding on compensation at PlachimadaKerala commission (described elsewhere as an expert committee) · Administrative · Not stated in the record; the research names the villagers as those who bore the loss → Hindustan Coca-Cola
A state commission found that the company should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore); the cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser. The sources reviewed record zero paid and no court route. Down To Earth
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Record
- None on record Earnings of Hindustan Coca-Cola from the Plachimada plant: not documented in the record.
- None on record Personal penalty for any individual: no data in the record.
- None on record Payment: the research records zero paid against Rs 216.26 crore assessed; no payment date or later figure is given.
Did the harm stop?
The plant closed in 2004 (Down To Earth). The compensation assessed in 2010 was recorded as unpaid in the latest report.
Who paid?
The research records the villagers as the ones who paid: the assessed compensation was not paid to them.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Coca-Cola asked to pay Rs 216 croreDown To Earth · 2010
- Plachimada awaits compensation from Coca-Cola, two decades onDown To Earth · c. 2022