Delhi to get water kiosks

It will be installed before the summer sets in

The first water dispensing unit at a public place by the Delhi Jal Board will be installed this month. Delhi government had last year announced its plan to install kiosks this summer to provide free drinking facility at public places.

Though the exact location has not been identified yet, according to DJB officials, it will be launched somewhere on the Ring Road stretch.

“We are launching the project this month. After the first one in March, others too will be installed soon,” Delhi’s Water Minister Kapil Mishra told Deccan Herald.

Capacity of unit
The unit will have a capacity of 500 litres and a consumer can draw 150 ml of “good quality water” at one go.

The kiosk will have two dispensers, one for adults and one at lower height for children, will be manned by a security guard. The guard will also be responsible for distributing disposable glasses through an ‘interaction window’ to the public.

“The board has studied similar models in Punjab and Himachal before launching the project,” a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said.

The DJB has planned to target areas near DTC queue shelters in the first phase as a huge number of people wait there. Other public places are also being identified for setting up these units.

“Major streets and market areas in Delhi will be identified. We will see the requirements of individual areas and then proceed,” he said.

PPP model
The project is taken up on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and DJB plans to generate revenue by using these water kiosks for advertisements by private companies.
“Since these machines will be set up on major roads, the amount of revenue generated through advertisement is expected to be substantial,” the official added.

The Aam Aadmi Party in its election manifesto had promised it would work towards ensuring that residents have access to safe drinking water. Mishra had earlier said that the summer of 2016 will be the best summer so far in terms of water.