Water bottle prices rise as input costs surge amid LPG supply disruptions

Prices of packaged drinking water have begun to rise across parts of Tamil Nadu, including Tiruchi, as manufacturers grapple with increasing input costs and disruptions in the supply of commercial LPG.

Industry participants said the cost of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a petroleum-derived raw material used to make bottles, has increased in recent weeks, along with packaging inputs such as caps and shrink-wrap. Much of the raw material is sourced from hubs such as Chennai, Puducherry and Mumbai, where availability has become inconsistent amid rising logistics costs.