Amma Kudineer facts for kids

Amma Kudineer (which means Mother drinking-water in the Tamil language) was a special project in Tamil Nadu, India. It was set up by the government to make and sell clean, safe drinking water. The main idea was to help everyone, especially those who couldn't afford expensive bottled water.

What is Amma Kudineer?

Amma Kudineer was a project that produced and sold bottled mineral water. The water was sold in one-litre plastic bottles. The price was kept very low, at just ₹10 per bottle. This was much cheaper than water sold by private companies, which cost more. The goal was to make sure everyone had access to clean drinking water at a fair price.

How it Started

The Amma Kudineer project officially began on September 15, 2013. It was launched by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa. The launch happened on the 105th birthday of another former chief minister, C. N. Annadurai. This project was similar to "Rail Neer," a water project run by the Indian Railways, but Amma Kudineer was even more affordable.

Making and Selling the Water

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation managed the Amma Kudineer project. The water was produced at a large plant in Gummidipoondi, located in the Thiruvallur district. This plant was built on a big piece of land belonging to the Institute of Road Transport (IRT). The factory could produce a huge amount of purified water, up to 300,000 litres every day! The quality of the water was very good, with very low levels of total dissolved solids (TDS). This meant it was very clean and safe to drink. The water bottles were mainly sold in state-owned buses that traveled long distances and at bus stations.

Helping During Disasters

Amma water bottles were also very important during natural disasters. When big floods or cyclones hit, like the 2015 Chennai floods, the 2018 Kerala floods, or Cyclone Gaja, these water bottles were given to people who were affected. This helped make sure people had clean water when their usual supplies were disrupted.

Why it Stopped

The Amma Kudineer project was very successful at first. Because it was so popular and affordable, the demand for the water bottles grew quickly. This sometimes led to shortages in many places. However, the sale of Amma Water bottles has now stopped. This happened because of a technical problem at the Gummidipoondi factory. As of August 2025, there are no plans by the government to fix the plant.

See also

• Amma Unavagam