In recent times, one of the biggest issues is global warming and paucity of water. Certain areas of the country are far more arid than others and things become particularly difficult during the summers. Add to that the problem that most people of the lower income communities complain that they cannot buy water when the need arises. The Haryana Government has come up with a Water ATM policy and this would provide clean drinking water to people in all the public places in the city. It was announced by state minister Kavita Jain on April 9th, 2018 and the urban local bodies minister said that the residents will be able to find a water ATM every 400 meters away, which would be a relief especially during the summer months. The distance would be further adjusted as per the needs.
Such a proposal has been approved by the CM of the state, Manohar Lal Khattar as well. After the notification of the policy went through, the municipalities would identify the public places such as the bus stands, the railway stations, the parks, the bus stops and the parking areas and markets as viable areas where the water ATMs can be installed.
The state government is looking forward not only to the installation but also to the functioning of the water ATMs. The municipality would either do both or the civic body would install the ATMs and then hand them over to an agency for smooth functioning. Corporate social responsibility would also be made available to ensure that the ATMs function properly. A lot of care would also go into ensuring that the pipelines are kept clean round the year, that they would be prevented from contamination and the water sources and the tanks from where the water is disbursed would be regularly maintained and disinfected at regular intervals.
