Letters to the Editor

Abstract

The Water Wheel received both praise and criticism for its article on bottled water in the September/October 2006 issue. One specific reader (who did not want her letter published) went so far as accusing the magazine and its publisher, the Water Research Commission of the “uncritical promotion of a commercial product, one which is hardly environmentally-friendly”. The reader specifically mentioned the issues around the environmental impact of the sector. While the debate over the merits and disadvantages of bottled water rages on internationally, the sector keeps on expanding in almost every country, even in South Africa, which has always been thought to have some of the highest-quality tap water. Even the country’s largest tap water supplier, Rand Water, is now entering the bottled water market in a bid to tap into new markets and diversify its income streams. The Water Wheel asked John Weaver, Chair of the South African Bottled Water Association) to respond to some of the criticisms against bottled water.

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