CONSUMER’S AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS PACKAGED DRINKING WATER IN THOOTHUKUDI DISTRICT

Today, one million people are drinking unhealthy water in the world. Each year 5 million people worldwide die due to the diseases caused by unhealthy drinking water. Unhealthy water creates a great risk, especially for children because of their undeveloped immune system (G8 Action Plan Decisions, 2003)1 . Indeed, the World Health Organization estimates that 4.1 million children die from diarrhea, which can be inhibited by healthy water (WHO, 2010)2 . In developed countries, it is observed that water is not only a basic consumption food, but also a lifestyle product. As mentioned in the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, packaged water consumption reflects the choices related to the lifestyle as well as being a basic need at the bottom of the pyramid (Sipos, et al., 2007)3 . Water is increasingly becoming an important economic resource, and its public distribution is being privatized in many countries (e.g., France, England, Brazil, Australia, Bolivia and, recently proposed in Italy), opening new market opportunities for private investors. The consumption of bottled mineral water is significantly increasing worldwide and has become an important factor both for economic and health issues (King, 2008)4 . Natural mineral water means microbiologically wholesome water, originating in an underground water table or deposit and emerging from a spring tapped at one or more natural or bore exits. This type of water cannot be sterilized, pasteurized or otherwise treated to remove or destroy microorganisms (European Commission, 2009)5 . Hence, the researcher has made an attempt to find out the existing awareness and attitudes of consumers towards using packaged drinking water in Thoothukudi District.