sales of still bottles shot up 467% in May

Sales of still bottled water increased by 467% in May if compared to the same month of 2022, in the midst of the water deficit that affects Uruguay, but mainly to the metropolitan area, according to a study by the Scanntech company.

The survey, based on a panel of 1,700 points of sale, registered a average year-over-year increase of 224% compared to the previous year in Montevideo and Canelones, something that is mainly explained by the increase in the salinity of the water that manages SBI.

By breaking down the highest consumption by type of product, it can be seen that the still water bottles increased their sales 467%, that is, well above the average, while the drums 217% did. Quite far was the Still water, with an increase of 105%.

Meanwhile, if surveyed by geographical area, the Scanntech study showed that the largest increases occurred in the west zone and capital, with an average variation that in some cases exceeded 324%.

In Uruguay, people allocate 30% more budget to the purchase of water

Regarding consumption, the report pointed out that Uruguayans assign 30% more budget to the purchase of water and the number of tickets that include bottled water even doubled last month, compared to May 2022. In this way, the intention is to avoid the increase in sodium and chloride in OSE water, but also reduce the consumption of running drinking water.

It was also shown that increased by 50% the number of people who go exclusively to shops to buy bottled water, while, in 38% of purchases, users carry two units or more of water, which implies doubling the values ​​for the month of April.

Uruguay exempted imports of bottled water from taxes

Due to the water crisis, the government enabled weeks ago the purchase of imported bottled water with tax exemption. From the Ministry of Economy They explained that the measure is of an exceptional nature due to the current situation. The initiative had been claimed by the Broad Front, as a response to the increase in salinity in the water.

At that time, the Secretary of the Presidency, Alvaro Delgadoexplained that those who wish to purchase these products, No they will have to pay the consular fee nor the one corresponding to Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU).