Hyderabad now has Water ATMs to help people beat the summer heat. Five ATMs have been put up in Lal Bazaar, Tadbund, Balamrai, Bolarum and Bowenpally so far. There are plans to install five more in the near future.
Water at these ATMs cost only Rs 1 per litre of clean and chilled water. Last year, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) had installed five ATMs in various parts of the city. These ATMs providing citizens with water at just Rs 1 has come as a boon for those suffering from the scorching heat in Hyderabad.
People have also begun to prefer these ATMs to buying bottles from shops. They have begun carrying their own bottles, preferring to fill up water for Rs 1 instead of buying a bottle for Rs 20. Reportedly, sometimes there’s even a line at the ATM. In the five ATMs in place now, the Bolarum one has reportedly been out of order for a while now, but will be restored soon.
The ATMs use water from borewells and this is causing a problem in Risala Bazar. Monsoons are expected to bring a change in the scenario. The SCB had installed the ATMs in collaboration with NGO Piramal Sarvajal. Hyderabad will reportedly soon have ATMs even in Trimulgherry, Begumpet, Karkhana, Rasoolpura and Cantonment area.
Every day, the ATMs yield over Rs 900. In summer, it is a basic need and every year people spend hundreds of rupees on bottles during travel. The ATMs have been put in place for those who cannot afford to buy clean, drinking water.
The ATM recycles it in the case people use it to face their faces or hands. In such a scenario, the water goes back to the borewell and gets recycled. The purifier purifies and dispenses water fit for drinking. These ATMs have a storage capacity of 60 litres and when the water is used up, the tank is automatically filled via a pipe connected to the borewell.
These ATMs are already in operation in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board decided to introduce the water ATMs inspired by this.
