The NCRP concludes 80.76 percent of the spring waters in Laguna are contaminated. It suggested that the waters used in swimming pools should be treated first before they can be used for bathing. "If these sources are not fit for bathing purposes, how much more if they were bottled and used for drinking purposes," the NCRP states.

Despite these facts, bottled water remains a big business. But there are other problems. According to the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, producing one kilogram of the virgin resin PET (polyethylene terephthalate) - the plastic most commonly used in water bottles - requires 17.5 kilograms of water and results in air emission of 40 grams of hydrocarbons, 25 grams of sulfur oxides, 18 grams of carbon monoxide, 20 grams of nitrogen oxides, and 2.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

"In terms of water use alone, much is more consumed in making the bottles than will ever go into them," notes Paul McRandle, author of 'The Green Guide.'

The biggest issue is plastic waste. The Container Recycling Institute reports that in 2002 some 14 billion water bottles were sold in the United States, and 90 percent of these were thrown in the trash - even though most of them were made of recyclable PET plastic. "Whiskey's for drinkin'," Mark Twain once wrote. "But water is for fightin' over." Sir Crispin Tickell, one of the organizers of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, agreed: "The world has got a very big water problem. It will be the progenitor of more wars than oil."

"One in five people living today does not have access to safe drinking water, and half the world's population does not have adequate sanitation," says a recent report released by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank. "The world's thirst for water is likely to become one of the most pressing resources issues of the 21st century," warns the Washington-based World Resources Institute. Far from there being any romantic about a trip to the well, people could soon be clawing each other's eyes out for the right to fill up their bottles.

Henrylito Tacio is an award winning science journalist who also writes for the Reader's Digest