Coca-Cola bottling plants in India are contributing to water scarcity and often fail to meet the company's regulations on the treatment of wastewater, according to a report commissioned by the [company]... The report by The Energy and Resources Institute, an independent research organization based in New Delhi, was meant to address concerns about Coke's business practices in India... Coca-Cola executives...say that the company...has followed environmental standards that are among the highest in the world. "We look at this report very, very positively and very seriously," said Atul Singh, president of Coke's India division. "The report, the whole exercise - that took almost 18 months - clearly is a commitment for me and my team to take on board the recommendations that have come out of the report," Singh said... Two major conclusions of the report were that Coca-Cola should improve its treatment of factory wastewater and should avoid situating bottling plants in areas where water resources are stressed... The company has pledged to replace more water to Indian aquifers than its bottling plants use by 2009 ...