A community in La Calera, Colombia, has secured a landmark victory against Coca-Cola Femsa, the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler, after successfully lobbying local authorities to drastically cut its subsidiary's water concession. The decision comes after residents endured severe water rationing for months during a prolonged drought, while the beverage giant continued to extract significant volumes of water from local springs.
The drought, which gripped the region from 2023 to April 2024, saw many residents of La Calera, near Bogotá, lose access to water for drinking, cooking, and farming, facing up to 15 days of strict rationing each month. This occurred despite the town's proximity to the Chingaza reservoir, which supplies approximately 70% of Bogotá's drinking water. Public scrutiny intensified as the drought worsened, leading residents to question why their taps ran dry while Indega, a Coca-Cola Femsa subsidiary, continued to bottle thousands of litres daily for its Agua Manantial brand.
Local councillor and water rights campaigner, Javier Cifuentes, highlighted the disparity, stating that while citizens were asked to ration, companies were not. The community's investigation revealed that Indega not only had privileged access to water but also paid a mere 120 Colombian pesos (around 2.5p) per cubic metre, significantly less than the 697 to 3,720 pesos (15p-78p) charged to households, depending on income. This revelation fuelled widespread outrage and galvanised residents to oppose Indega's request to renew its water concession, which was due to expire in December 2024.
Led by figures such as Herminia Cristancho of the Association of Hamlets in La Calera, and supported by legal non-profit Cajar, community leaders accessed hundreds of documents related to Indega's water usage. They argued that the company's extraction from seven springs was depleting the San Lorenzo basin, whose levels had fallen dramatically during the drought. Despite a company-commissioned study that dismissed these concerns, local authorities, the Regional Autonomous Corporation (CAR), sided with the community, deeming Indega's report technically flawed.
The campaign, which involved significant social media and political pressure, culminated in April this year when CAR slashed Indega's water concession to its lowest level since the 1980s. This rare environmental victory in Latin America underscores the growing global tension between corporate resource demands and community needs, particularly in the face of climate change-induced water scarcity. The drought itself was exacerbated by an extreme El Niño weather pattern, leaving the Chingaza reservoir at a record low of 15% capacity, with research suggesting global heating intensifies such events.