A small Colombian town that endured months of severe water shortages has emerged victorious in a long-running struggle against a Coca-Cola bottling subsidiary accused of extracting large quantities of spring water even as local residents faced strict rationing measures.
The dispute unfolded in La Calera, a municipality near the Colombian capital of Bogotá, where a prolonged drought left households, farmers and businesses grappling with limited access to water. Residents were subjected to water rationing for up to half of every month as authorities attempted to manage dwindling supplies. The situation sparked widespread anger because the region is home to important water sources that supply much of Bogotá and surrounding areas.
As the drought intensified between 2024 and 2025, attention turned to Indega, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Femsa, one of the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottlers. The company continued drawing water from local springs to produce and distribute bottled water under its Manantial brand across Colombia. Residents questioned why communities were being asked to conserve water while industrial extraction continued.
The issue soon evolved into a broader environmental campaign involving community leaders, activists, elected representatives and water rights advocates. Local campaigners argued that access to drinking water should take precedence over commercial use, especially during periods of extreme scarcity. Public meetings, protests and legal challenges increased pressure on environmental regulators to review the company’s water concessions.
After months of scrutiny, Colombia’s environmental authority in Cundinamarca ruled in favour of tighter controls on the bottling operation. The regulator significantly reduced the amount of water the company is permitted to extract and limited the number of springs it can use. Authorities cut the approved extraction rate from 3.23 litres per second to 1.9 litres per second, a reduction of roughly 42%, while access to three of the seven springs previously used by the company was withdrawn.
The environmental authority said the measures were necessary to safeguard water supplies for local communities and ensure long-term sustainability in the face of climate variability and future droughts. The new licence was granted for only five years instead of the ten-year extension sought by the company. Officials also imposed additional obligations, including environmental monitoring, conservation initiatives and support for local water infrastructure.
The decision has been celebrated by residents and campaigners as a landmark victory for community-led environmental action. Many believe it demonstrates that local populations can successfully challenge large multinational corporations when essential natural resources are at stake. Activists described the ruling as recognition that human consumption must remain the top priority in water management policies.
Coca-Cola Femsa, meanwhile, has stated that it will review the regulator’s decision and reiterated its commitment to responsible water use and compliance with environmental laws. The company maintains that it respects the legal process and will continue engaging with authorities as the new restrictions take effect.
For the residents of La Calera, however, the ruling marks the culmination of a campaign that began during one of the worst water crises in the region’s recent history and may serve as a precedent for similar disputes elsewhere in Latin America.
