Assam bans packaged water bottles below 1 liter

The Assam Environment and Forest Department on 23rd August 2023 ,issued a notification banning the use or manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale of packaged  plastic water bottles below 1000 ml capacity in the state from 2nd  October 2023.

According to the Assam government notification  the use of packaged water bottles below 1 liter is high in the state and also their pollution potential is higher than packaged drinking water bottles of larger volume.

The Urban and Rural local bodies, District Administration and Police department and Pollution Control Board of Assam will be responsible for implementing the prohibition. 

Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastics  in the environment  which creates problems for wildlife and their habitats  as well as for human populations. 

Plastic is a polymeric material ,whose molecules are very large and interconnected through an endless series of links. Natural polymers like rubber and silk are not considered a polluting material because they are bio degradable and do not exist in nature for long.

The synthetic polymers like plastics which are mainly derived from petroleum are not biodegradable and they persist in the environment for a very long time . Due to them being cheap and easy to use plastics especially single use plastics are widely used in the world . The use and throw culture has led to the problem of disposal of plastic waste and it has become a serious problem for humans .

Government of India steps to curb plastic pollution

The government of India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of certain  single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene commodities, from I July 2022  across the country.

To raise awareness against plastic pollution the Union Ministry of Environment has launched a mascot “Prakriti” to encourage people to make changes in lifestyle to curb plastic pollution.

Chief Minister of Assam : Himanta Biswa Sarma