Delhi gets 1st water kiosk with free supply

The capital got its first water kiosk on Thursday which will supply free water round-the-clock. The Delhi government had last year announced its plan to instal water kiosks which will provide free drinking water at public places. The ‘e-piao’, or water vending machine was installed on Thursday afternoon near Indarprastha Metro station at IP Estate. The unit has a storage capacity of 500 litres and a consumer can draw up to 250 ml of “good quality” water at one go.

The kiosk has two dispensers, one for adults and another for children or those with short height. There is a dustbin to dispose glasses.

The kiosk will be manned by a security guard who will also be responsible for distributing disposable glasses through an ‘interaction window’ to the public. A solar panel has been installed for production of electricity. 

‘Aap ka paani’
Calling it ‘Aap ka Paani’, Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra, who inaugurated the kiosk, said the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will be set up these machines on several roads and the first phase would cover the Ring Road stretch, especially Anand Vihar and Kashmere Gate, along with the crowded markets of Delhi.

“By May 15, Delhi will have 100 such water vending machines and we plan to cover 200 locations by the end of June. Access to water in summers is a basic necessity and people have to buy water bottles which cost Rs 20. We want to end the culture of bottles slowly, and e-piaos’ will come as a welcome relief to Delhiites during the hot summer,” Mishra, who is also the DJB Chairman, told reporters, after inaugurating the machine.

The project is being executed on a zero-cost basis through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of private companies.

The DJB is responsible for operation and maintenance of the kiosk.  The AAP in its election manifesto had promised it would work towards ensuring residents have access to safe drinking water.

Meanwhile, reacting to media reports that the submission by former Delhi government counsel Suresh Tripathy in the Supreme Court regarding Satluj Yamuna Link canal dispute between Haryana and Punjab was approved by the DJB, Mishra said that no permission was given by the board.

“If he has any approvals, he must show. He was removed because he went forward without any go-ahead from the ministry,” he said.

Tripathy was removed by DJB for presenting “wrong” submissions in Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal case in the apex court. In his submisison, he had said that Delhi government is in favour of Haryana in this case. On Thursday, a section of media reported Tripathy as saying that the submissions were approved by the DJB.