Delhi Lt Governor clears 500 more water ATMs

, Jun 17: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung today approved setting up of 500 more

ATMs in the city, following success of Delhi Jal Board's pilot project at Savda Ghevera colony.

"Some of these ATMs will be based on groundwater purified from RO-based systems, while others will be fed from tanker based supply. These will provide the citizens with an easily accessible, demand based, affordable supply system," said an official at the Lt Governor's office.

The move will supplement water supply, particularly in areas that are facing crisis, and the DJB has identified the water-deficient areas following the Lt Governor's directions, the official said. Ten such ATMs are being installed in Southwest Delhi and will become operational by the first week of July, the rest will come up subsequently.

Orders for installation of 10 reverse osmosis (RO)-based plants have already been placed, and within the next three months more than 50 ATMs will be installed in various resettlement colonies. "These plants will be set up in collaboration with the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), which will provide the land.

The DJB has appointing Hyderabad-based Administrative Staff College of India as its transaction advisor, with a timeline of three months, to design the project," the official said.

In its pilot project, the DJB provided water to the residents of Savda Ghevera, a resettlement colony in Southwest Delhi, through 15 water-ATM kiosks. All these kiosks are powered by solar energy and are connected to the main server via cloud computing.

PTI