3 weeks ago
India's water crisis is management, not rainfall, says Bisleri CEO
India gets a lot of rain, but the water people can use is running out.
Angelo George is the boss of a water bottle company called Bisleri.
He said the problem is not the rain but how India manages its water.
He spoke at a big meeting in Mumbai called the Mint Sustainability Summit.
Over the past 70 years, the water available for each person in India went down by 75 percent.
He warned that big cities could run short of water by 2035 if nothing changes.
He said saving water also protects businesses from financial risks.
His company collects rainwater, restores watersheds, and builds small dams in villages.
Bisleri also says it recycles more plastic than it sells and puts back 4.7 times more water than it takes out.
He believes plastic bottles are not the real problem, but the way waste is collected and recycled is.
Bisleri International CEO Angelo George says India's water crisis is a problem of management and governance, not rainfall.
India's per capita water availability has fallen 75% over the past 70 years despite roughly 4,000 billion cubic meters of annual rainfall.
George warned that large urban centers could face critical water shortages by 2035 if the current trajectory continues.
Bisleri is expanding conservation efforts including rainwater harvesting, watershed restoration, check dams, and one new reservoir per year.
The company claims to be plastic-neutral, replenishes 4.7 times the water it extracts, and defends PET bottles as lower-carbon than glass and aluminium.
- Who
- Angelo George, CEO of Bisleri International
- What
- Warned that India's water crisis is a management and governance problem, not a rainfall problem, and outlined Bisleri's conservation and sustainability efforts
- Where
- Mumbai, India
- When
- At the Mint Sustainability Summit 2026, held recently
- Why
- Per capita water availability has dropped 75% in 70 years and critical shortages in large urban centers are projected by 2035, posing direct financial risks to businesses
Environmental critics of plastic
Bisleri International
PET plastic packaging
Environmental critics of plastic
Plastic packaging remains under scrutiny due to environmental concerns and waste generation.
Bisleri International
Bisleri argues the material is not the problem; inadequate waste collection and recycling systems are, and lifecycle assessments show PET has a lower carbon footprint than glass or aluminium.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Angelo George, CEO of Bisleri International
- Event
- Mint Sustainability Summit 2026
- India's annual rainfall
- Roughly 4,000 billion cubic meters
- Decline in per capita water availability
- 75% over the past 70 years
- Projected critical shortages
- By 2035 in large urban centers
- Water replenished vs. extracted
- 4.7 times
- Bottles for Change coverage
- 65 municipal corporations and five national parks
- Company age
- 55 years
Quotes
Angelo George
CEO of Bisleri International
“"The NITI Aayog 2023 report says that the water crisis accentuates the financial risk for businesses in India. It is not a challenge of rainfall, it is a crisis of water management and governance"”
livemint.com
“"We are not in the business of selling plastic. We are in the business of selling water"”
livemint.com
Sources
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