The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has issued a revised gazette notification raising the maximum retail prices of locally packaged and bottled drinking water, with the new ceilings taking effect from today, June 10, Newswire reported.
Under the revised gazette, 500ml–999ml bottles can be sold at a maximum of Rs. 80 (up from Rs. 70). The maximum retail price of 1L–1.49L bottles rises to Rs. 120 from Rs. 100, while 1.5L–1.99L bottles move to Rs. 150 from Rs. 130. The 2L–2.49L band is now capped at Rs. 180 (up from Rs. 160), and 5L–6.99L household jugs at Rs. 400 (up from Rs. 350).
The increases run across the full retail bottle range and apply only to locally manufactured product. The CAA did not publicly disclose the cost-input justification driving the revision, but bottlers have for months flagged higher packaging-resin and transport costs alongside the rupee’s 2026 depreciation cycle as pressure on bottle-side margins.
Bottled water has been one of the CAA’s most actively enforced consumer-protection beats, with Rs. 500,000 fines imposed in Batticaloa in May for retailers selling over the prior MRP and a string of raids during the Avurudu season. The new ceiling resets the enforcement threshold by roughly 14–15% across the small-bottle range and gives bottlers headroom that has been absent since the previous gazette.
The change lands as Sri Lanka enters the peak southwest monsoon period, during which off-grid potable-water demand typically spikes in rain-affected districts. The full revised price schedule was published in the Government Gazette and is enforceable through CAA inspectors at supermarkets, wholesalers and roadside outlets.
