In what could be a novel initiative, the first in the hill State, you can now get water through a modified ATM machine in the Himachal Pradesh capital.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday dedicated the first water ATM unit in the State installed at the Ridge, Shimla which is expected to benefit the local residents and the tourists as well. The machine will dispense one litre of clean water for only 50 paise.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the State Government had formulated State Water Policy, 2013 which advocated use of water ATMs at places of mass public congregation like temples, major tourist places, fairs etc. so as to cater to the need of quality water to the people.
In Shimla, assured quality of water would soon be provided at some other places as well. Water ATMs facility will be provided at the Ridge, Vikas Nagar and old bus stand in Shimla city besides at Chintpurni, Mandi and Dari in Dharamshala on pilot basis.
Virbhadra Singh said Shimla was one of the favourite tourist destinations in the country which witness an influx of domestic and foreign tourists round the year. The majority of tourists rely on expensive packaged drinking water which was later disposed along the roadside adding to non-biodegradable waste which was also hazardous to the ecosystem. “Civic authorities in Shimla were striving hard to preserve the natural beauty and precious environment while dealing with litter issues caused by empty plastic water bottles left by tourists,” he said.
Water ATMs were being installed by a Mumbai-based company under its brand Sarvajal on no profit no loss basis through a tripartite MoU signed between this company, I&PH Department and User Agency on Built, Operate, Manage and Maintain basis. The water ATMs were fully automated, integrated, purification and dispensing unit and quality assured by real time remote monitoring.
The Water ATMs are solar powered, cloud connected and RFID enabled. Officials said it would reduce the burden of water borne diseases. While the IPH department would provide water access, Municipal Corporation would provide space for the unit installation. Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes, Mayor Sanjay Chauhan, were also present on the occasion,