How to Apply for Pollution Control Board License for Water Bottling Plant?

What is a Water Bottling Plant?

Water from a mineral spring containing different minerals like salts and sulphur compounds, is called as the mineral water. In the absence or presence of added gases, mineral water can usually be silently or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) packed.

Mineral water, a vital alternative for quenching thirst in the searing summer heat, is a potent drink in and of itself. Water treatment and packing equipments are installed by mineral water bottling plant manufacturers in order to produce a bottle of safe and healthy packed drinking water. Have you ever pondered how they are treated at a factory with rotating equipment all around them?                           

Processes involved in packaging of Mineral water 

To find out the source of raw water- It is the initial step in the process of establishing a mineral water bottling facility. Manufacturers must conduct study into the location and sources of supply of raw water in order to determine whether the location in which they wish to build a plant meets their needs. The quality of raw water is essential in the production of mineral water.

Storage of Raw water- The plant layout must be created by a qualified and experienced architect. Raw water storage must be connected to a water pumping system and to other systems that are in place for further processing.

Installation of Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP)-  There are a variety of resources available to assist you in making a wise purchasing decision, including web research. We recommend that you do not make machinery and equipment purchase decisions on the basis of hearsay  or fall prey to the marketing gimmicks and that you verify with numerous sources before purchasing to ensure that you're obtaining a high-quality system and replacement part. There are some common water treatment methods which are as following:

• Reverse osmosis water filtration
• Filtration
• Distillation
• Ultraviolet water Sterilization and filtration

Water Testing- The treated water is tested in the in-house laboratory of the bottling plant wherein the microbiological and chemical content characteristics of the sample treated water are evaluated and printed on the bottle of the packaged water.

Separate Storage of Mineral water in Plant- This is the final process, in which the purified water is packaged and stored in brand-labeled bottles, jars and pouches. Separate bottling plant equipment is to be added for the purpose of storage of the treated water.

What are the important registrations and licenses required to setup water bottling plant?

1. Registration of legal business entity- The owner/promoter is required to establish a legal entity for the firm which is a needed for launching any form of business in India. In India, we have five types of options for setting up a water bottling plant as a legal entity -

• Proprietorship- It is a type of legal entity that is operated by an individual, with the assets and liabilities of the firm belonging to the same persons who are the firm's owner. There is no distinction between the company and its owner.
• Partnership- It is a type of legal entity that is operated by two or more persons, with the assets and liabilities of the firm belonging to the same persons who are the partners in the firm.  
• Private limited company- A Private Limited Company is formed when two or more persons want to share their profit and liabilities and have registered their business organisation under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Public limited company- When seven or more than seven persons are interested to share their profit and liability and they register their entity under Companies Act 2013 which is not a private company. As per sec 2(71) of companies act 2013, A ‘Public Company’ means a company which has minimum paid-up share capital as may be prescribed and which is not a private company.
• One person Company- According to section 2(62) of the Companies Act 2013, a "One Person Company" is defined as a company with only one member. It is essentially a private firm with some distinguishing characteristics.
• Limited Liability Partnership- Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is a corporate business form that allows people with managerial and entrepreneurial talents to join and operate in a functional, innovative, and methodical way, giving limited liability benefits while allowing partners to organise their internal structure as a partnership.   

      2. DIC/SSI/MSME/Udyog Aadhar Registration 
          Small scale industries and ancillary units (i.e., businesses with a plant and machinery investment of less than Rs. 10 million) shall register with the Director of Industries of the concerned state government.
          There is no statutory basis for the registration scheme. Units are typically registered in order to receive benefits, incentives or support from the center or state governments. The following are generally included in the Centre's incentive program:
           - Credit prescription (priority sector lending), interest rate differentials, and so on.
           - Excise Exemption Scheme - Direct Tax Laws Exemption.
           - Statutory support, such as the Interest on Delayed Payments Act and reservation.

.    3. State Pollution Board Consent/NOC/Authorization   

Before establishing a facility, every business firm must obtain prior authorization from the Concerned State Pollution Control Board. Every state has a pollution control department tasked with monitoring any pollution that occurs within its borders. Industries are classified in four categories by Central Pollution Control Board under the supervision of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in most of states, water bottling plant fall under GREEN category.The following permission need to be obtained by business entity.

• Consent to establish - Prior to the construction of a plant or the installation of a machine in previously constructed premises, the occupant must apply for permission to establish.
• Consent to Operate (CTO)– Occupier has to apply for consent to operate before operation of plant. Before consent to operate, concerned officer may come and visit the plant to make sure installation of machine has been completed and plant is ready for operation.
• Plastic Waste Authorization (Plastic EPR) – As the business activity of bottling and packaging of water for sales involves the usage of plastic materials, such as plastic botles, the business entity is required to get Plastic EPR Certificate from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The documents required for CPCB application for Plastic EPR certificate are the same as above plus the below stated documents.

What are the documents required to obtain Pollution Certificate/Authorization

1. Consent to Establish (CTE)/Consent to Operate (CTO)

1. Pan card and UID of Authorized Person
2. Property Paper/Rent Agreement with Rent permission
3. Layout Plan
4. Project Report
5. Electricity bill/ water bill 
6. MOA and AOA/Partnership deed

1. Plastic EPR Certificate

The applicant is required to file an application at the CPCB Plastic EPR Portal. 

What is the procedure to apply for Pollution Board certificate/NOC /Authorization                         

• Create user id and password
• File an application through user id and password
• Payment of govt fee
• Inspection will be conduct by concerned officer
• ATR preparation by department
• File sent for meeting or Regional officer or Head office as the case may be
• Approved in meeting or by Regional officer or Head office as the case may be
• Download certificate from Pollution control Board’s website
• In case of Plastic waste authorization, if occupier operating his/her business in more than two states than application will be filed before Central Pollution Control Board.

1. No-Objection Certificate from Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or respective State Water Regulatory Authority

Every Business entity needs to take permission from Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or from their respective State Water Regulatory Authority for Ground Water abstraction for commercial purposes. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was adopted by the Indian Parliament to regulate, monitor, and manage pollution, as well as to protect the environment in the Union Territory of India. The Central Ground Water Authority was established under Section 3 (3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, with the goal of developing and preserving all of India's water resources for future generations.

For more information on Central Ground water click on metacorp

1. Other certifications required by the bottling plant entity:

1. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
2. Trademark for differentiation and brand recall
3. Water Testing certification
4. Factory License
5. Labour License
6. FSSAI License