Water is a very precious commodity and in some parts of the world, even armed conflict has taken place over its supply. Today, in Scotland, the hotly contested issue of bottled water vs tap water is causing deep divisions.

Drink water out of the tap - that's the message that environmentalists and the government want to get across.

Ministers at Westminster and Holyrood have announced that bottled still water will no longer be served at government functions or meetings.

And the Environment Secretary, Phil Woolas MP, has claimed that drinking bottled water is "morally unacceptable" in the face of the environmental impact.

But speaking to the Politics Show, the SNP's Environment Minister, Mike Russell MSP, sought to distance himself from these comments.

He said: "I think that's just jumping on a bandwagon, I don't think there's anything morally unacceptable.

"If we impose on people constantly in the sake of a greener Scotland we actually turn people off, I want to persuade people."

Green agenda

So what's the reason for this move?

Well it's all part of the green agenda.

And half of that sold is through supermarkets, with multipacks of plastic bottles being the most popular choice.At the moment, we spend £2bn in the UK every year on bottled water.

But the green lobby claims that it is the packaging of natural mineral water that makes it an environmental no-no.

"If we're drinking millions of gallons of water in plastic bottles, that's an awful lot of plastic which is just going into a landfill - and that's very wasteful," said Dan Barlow, Acting Director, World Wildlife Federation.

Going green?

The industry itself however says they are adapting all the time and the product is a lot greener than it used to be.

"The bottled water industry is doing a lot to reduce its environmental impact. For example, we've redesigned the bottles, 30% less plastic than 15 years ago - in fact recycling rates have been growing by up to 40% each year.

"And we are also finding ways of using recycled plastic in the original bottles," claims Richard Laming, Bottled Water Information Centre.

But is it fair to single out the bottled water industry when it comes environmental credentials?

Some producers already claim they meet the environmental criteria, supplying recyclable water coolers and not dealing in millions of small plastic bottles.

"There are other people we could be looking at if you're going to use the same benchmark, when it comes to travel, miles per litre, I don't see any orange trees or banana trees in the UK," said Ron Hounsell, Managing Director, Kingshill Water.

Serious issue

But green campaigners want to see government taking the issue seriously and that includes the question of Highland Spring sponsoring the Commonwealth Games.Nobody has said there should be a ban on bottled water - sparkling water for example is something you can never get out of a tap.

Dan Barlow of the WWF said: "There is concern because fundamentally we would be encouraging people and participants to use tap water rather than bottled water.

"We would like to think in terms of the sponsorship arrangements they choose companies that have a strong environmental record and that are engaged in businesses that are fundamentally sustainable."

Some politicians argue the bottled water industry can not be allowed to expand further.

However the UK's biggest bottled water company, Highland Spring, has recently announced plans to double production over the next three years from one million bottles per day to two million.

But with the environment so high up the political agenda, the green lobby argue it is time to put a lid on your average bottle of eau de vie and just turn on the tap.