North and East Delhi will get water ATMs
The agencies believe that the initiative would also help in reducing the use of plastic bottles, which pollute the environment. The machines will dispense a glass of water (250 ml) for Rs 2.
To help people access clean drinking water at busy markets and public places across the city, the municipal corporations are working to install water ATMs.
Both the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporation have approved the plan to install 200 water ATMs and are now identifying the sites for setting up the machines.
The machines are expected to come up at busy market places with high footfall. Kamla Nagar, Gaffar Market (Karol Bagh), Model Town, Paschim Vihar, Pitampura in North Delhi and Vikas Marg, Geeta Colony, Shahdara (old market), Mayur Vihar, Anand Vihar in east Delhi may get these machines.
The agencies believe that the initiative would also help in reducing the use of plastic bottles, which pollute the environment. The machines will dispense a glass of water (250 ml) for Rs 2.
“As many as 100 sites have been proposed for water ATMs. Fifty of these machines would be installed the first phase. We have invited bids from agencies which have license of running water cooling plants. They would be allowed to install water ATMs as per the new policy for water cooling plant,”said Dr NR Dass, municipal health officer, East DMC.
North Delhi municipal commissioner PK Gupta has also written to the deputy commissioner of all six zones to share the details of sites in a week’s time. “We have even written to the Delhi Jal Board, seeking their opinion on a proposal to supply water and install water ATMs in collaboration with us,” said Gupta.
Last month, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation had launched the project for installing water ATMs at 100 places. On a pilot basis, one water ATM was installed in Defence Colony where people get filtered water at just Rs 2 for 250 ml in paper glasses. And if you have bottle to carry the water, it is available at just Rs 5 per litre.
On June 18, Hindustan Times visited the place and spoke to shopkeepers, who had appreciated the move. “The water ATM at Defence Colony has been receiving tremendous response . We manage to sell 300 glasses of water per day,” said the worker at the ATM. Now the agency has invited tender for installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of rest 100 water ATMs.
As per the tender, ATMs should be installed within 90 days of allocation of project. “Also, the plastic glasses collected at the end of the day should be cleaned and send for recycling,” said the SDMC official.
