Water machines set up at Savda Ghevra in 2013 find few takers

NEW DELHI: Despite being the national Capital, several areas in Delhi don’t have access to clean, drinking water. And people are dependent on water tankers supplied by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

To deal with the problem, the Delhi Jal Board launched the concept of water ATMs in 2013.

The first area where the ATMS was installed was Savda Ghevra — a dusty resettlement colony in northwest Delhi. The area houses nearly 8,500 people, most of them daily wage labourers, who relocated from slums in various parts of Delhi. Residents of Savda Ghevra were provided 15 water dispensing machines that run on power from solar panels.

To get water, all they need to do is swipe their water ATM card through one such machine and draw water at just 30 paise per litre. About 1,000 families got the cards.

But three years down the line, things have changed. The machines aimed to fill the gap and supply potable water are not much in use. According to the DJB officials, almost two-thirds of the members didn’t come forward to get their cards recharged.

Sharing the reason for residents’ apathy, Keshav Chandra, CEO, DJB said, “People don’t want to shed even 50 paise from their pockets to buy a litre of water. They rather wait for the DJB tankers which supplies water free of cost despite the fact that they can draw water from ATMs anytime.”

But residents differ. “In summer, the ATM water is too hot to drink and I do not have a refrigerator. This is the reason why many residents are unwilling to purchase the card,” said Geeta Kumari.