Where does AQUA water come from? According to AQUA, it comes from 19 mountain water sources in Indonesia. The water is drawn from deep aquifers 60-140 meters below ground, not from surface water or shallow groundwater (AQUA, 2025). An aquifer is a water-bearing rock layer that readily passes water to wells and springs (USGS, 2026).
Knowing how aquifers work helps you judge where your daily mineral water comes from.
What You Need to Know
- According to AQUA, its water comes from 19 mountain water sources in Indonesia (AQUA, 2025).
- AQUA says it draws from deep aquifers 60-140 m down, shielded by impermeable layers (AQUA, 2025).
- Springs and wells both release groundwater from aquifers (USGS, 2026).
- Extracting groundwater for business needs a government permit (BPK RI, 2026).
Where Does AQUA Water Come From, According to AQUA?
In its official clarification of 22 October 2025, written in response to social media claims about bore wells, AQUA states that its water comes from 19 mountain water sources across Indonesia. Each source passed 9 scientific criteria, 5 evaluation stages and at least 1 year of research by experts in geology, hydrogeology, geophysics and microbiology (AQUA, 2025).
Danone Indonesia's 2024 Sustainability Report adds that each source study checks the water balance, keeping withdrawal in line with supply (Danone Indonesia, 2025).
Which mountain, then? AQUA's official pages do not name one per source, and a factory site is not always a source point. For scale, the AQUA Galon product page lists 20 production plants in Indonesia (AQUA, 2026).
Also read: A List of AQUA Bottled Drinking Water Factories in Indonesia
How Is a Deep Aquifer Different from Shallow Wells and Springs?
Depth and natural protection set them apart. A deep aquifer is a water-bearing rock layer far below the surface; between poorly permeable layers such as clay or shale, its water can sit under pressure as a confined aquifer (USGS, 2026).
A geology professor at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) places shallow groundwater at roughly 20-30 meters, sometimes 10. Deep groundwater lies at about 70-200 meters or more and is relatively protected from human activity (detikHealth, Akuifer Dalam, 2025).
| Aspect | Shallow groundwater | Deep groundwater | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | About 10-30 m | About 70-200 m or more (AQUA: 60-140 m) | Surface outlet |
| Protection | Little | Overlying rock layers | Open at the outlet |
| Contamination risk | High | Relatively low | Present, e.g. E. coli |
Sources: detikHealth (Akuifer Dalam; Rentan Kontaminasi, 2025); AQUA (2025).
A BRIN researcher said surface springs can pick up E. coli from animal waste, and that nearly all bottled-water companies now drill for pressurized deep groundwater at about 60-104 meters. Deep groundwater from volcanic areas, the researcher added, still counts as mountain water (detikHealth, Rentan Kontaminasi, 2025).
So drilling describes how water is taken; the volcanic aquifer, where it comes from. A UGM hydrogeologist said isotope testing can show whether water from a given point belongs to that mountain system (detikHealth, Asal-Usul, 2025).
Also read: Understanding the Difference of Protected and Unprotected Water
The October 2025 Bore-Well Question: What Official Sources Say
In October 2025, a public debate asked whether AQUA water came from mountain springs or bore wells. AQUA responded that its water comes from deep aquifers at 19 mountain sources, each with a groundwater business permit (SIPA), and that some points flow naturally (AQUA, 2025). The company also said hydrogeological studies by UGM and Universitas Padjadjaran found that its sources do not overlap with water used by local communities (AQUA, 2025).
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) said groundwater permits run through its Geological Agency. By 17 October 2025, it had issued about 4,700 groundwater permits nationwide. The ministry said it would evaluate them (Antara, 2025).
After hearing the company's clarification, the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) concluded the source is mountain water, accessed by drilling (Kontan, 2025).
Danone Indonesia's 2024 Sustainability Report records all Danone-AQUA factory water intake as groundwater, with no third-party piped supply (Danone Indonesia, 2025). Permen ESDM 4/2026, which revoked the Permen ESDM 14/2024 cited at the time, now governs business use of groundwater (BPK RI, 2026).
Also read: Fakta di Balik Sumber Air AQUA: Klarifikasi atas Disinformasi di Media Sosial (in Indonesian)
How Are AQUA's Water Recharge Areas Protected?
Danone Group in Indonesia, which includes AQUA, has run watershed-based conservation around its operations since 2010. As of 2024, the program had planted more than 2.65 million trees and built 2,187 infiltration wells, 19,941 water retention trenches and more than 91,000 biopores (Danone Indonesia, 2025).
The goal is to get more rainwater into the ground, the infiltration step of the water cycle, so that community water reserves are replenished. According to the report, the work runs with local NGOs across the recharge areas of each operational site (Danone Indonesia, 2025).
The same report says the company works with various stakeholders to keep watershed forums active in Rejoso (East Java), Klaten (Central Java) and Mambal (Bali), each safeguarding its own watershed ecosystem (Danone Indonesia, 2025).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is AQUA water from a bore well?
AQUA says its water comes from deep aquifers 60-140 m below ground at 19 mountain sources, each with a permit (AQUA, 2025). BPKN later concluded the source is mountain water, accessed by drilling (Kontan, 2025).
Which mountain does AQUA water come from?
Official AQUA pages list 19 mountain water sources in Indonesia but do not name the mountain behind each one. The AQUA Galon product page lists 20 production plants in Indonesia (AQUA, 2026).
Which country is AQUA water from?
Indonesia. AQUA's 19 mountain water sources are all in Indonesia (AQUA, 2025), and the company behind the brand was founded there in 1973 (AQUA, 2024). AQUA is now part of Danone Group in Indonesia (Danone Indonesia, 2025).
Deep-Aquifer Water for Kaum Adem
When someone asks where does AQUA water come from, the answer, according to AQUA, is deep aquifers at 19 mountain water sources, drawn under government permits.
Kaum Adem is AQUA's name for people who stay calm and keep their cool in daily life (adem means cool in Indonesian). Knowing your water's origin is one less worry.
Take AQUA Botol 600 ml along on your daily routine. AQUA Adem is AQUA Sejuk Alami: adem tanpa didinginkan, naturally cool without chilling.
Why AQUA? Because not all water is AQUA. AQUA comes from 19 selected, protected mountain water sources, chosen through 9 selection criteria, 5 stages and at least 1 year of research.
Dingin Alaminya AQUA, Ademin Kamu
References
- AQUA. (2025). Fakta di Balik Sumber Air AQUA: Klarifikasi atas Disinformasi di Media Sosial (22 October 2025). https://www.sehataqua.co.id/blog/klarifikasi-dan-fakta-di-balik-sumber-air-aqua/. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- Danone Indonesia. (2025). 2024 Sustainability Report: Danone Group in Indonesia. https://danone.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Danone-Indonesia-Sustainability-Report-2024-EN.pdf. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- AQUA. (2026). Air Galon AQUA (AQUA Galon product page, distribution network: 20 production plants in Indonesia). https://www.sehataqua.co.id/product/aqua-galon/. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- AQUA. (2024). A List of AQUA Bottled Drinking Water Factories in Indonesia (published 22 May 2024; cited only for its history section, founding in 1973). https://www.sehataqua.co.id/en/blog/daftar-pabrik-aqua/. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2026). Aquifers and Groundwater (updated 17 September 2026). https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/aquifers-and-groundwater. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- detikHealth. (2025). Aqua Disebut Ambil Air dari Sumur Bor, Ini Kata Ahli Geologi UGM soal 'Akuifer Dalam' (24 October 2025). https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-8176553/aqua-disebut-ambil-air-dari-sumur-bor-ini-kata-ahli-geologi-ugm-soal-akuifer-dalam. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- detikHealth. (2025). Gaduh Sumber Air Aqua, Peneliti BRIN: Mata Air Pegunungan Malah Rentan Kontaminasi (26 October 2025). https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-8178661/gaduh-sumber-air-aqua-peneliti-brin-mata-air-pegunungan-malah-rentan-kontaminasi. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- detikHealth. (2025). Pakar UGM Jelaskan Asal-Usul Sumber Air Pegunungan pada Produk AQUA (27 October 2025). https://health.detik.com/berita-detikhealth/d-8180517/pakar-ugm-jelaskan-asal-usul-sumber-air-pegunungan-pada-produk-aqua. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- ANTARA. (2025). ESDM akan evaluasi izin air tanah akibat polemik sumber air AQUA (24 October 2025). https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5197269/esdm-akan-evaluasi-izin-air-tanah-akibat-polemik-sumber-air-aqua. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- Kontan. (2025). BPKN Ungkap Hasil Klarifikasi Polemik Sumber Air Aqua dari Sumur Bor (28 October 2025). https://nasional.kontan.co.id/news/bpkn-ungkap-hasil-klarifikasi-polemik-sumber-air-aqua-dari-sumur-bor. Accessed 7 October 2026.
- BPK RI. (2026). Peraturan Menteri Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Nomor 4 Tahun 2026 tentang Pedoman Penggunaan Sumber Daya Air pada Air Tanah dan Tata Cara Pengenaan, Penghitungan, Pembayaran dan/atau Penyetoran Penerimaan Negara Bukan Pajak Berupa Denda Administratif Penataan Izin Pengusahaan Air Tanah dan Persetujuan Penggunaan Air Tanah (status Berlaku). https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/350247/permen-esdm-no-4-tahun-2026. Accessed 7 October 2026.
