With the temperature in Mumbai rising steadily, suburban commuters have demanded that the railways speed up installing water vending machines at all stations.
So far Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has installed 15 water vending machines on the stations to cater to suburban commuters and allow them to purchase purified water at a much cheaper rate. Besides, environment friendly containers can be reused to refill water, thus reducing plastic waste.
Safety of the machines in India could be a big issue: both from thieving and vandalism. Yes, even ATMs mostly have guards. The fact that the machines can be accessed round the clock, don’t need to manned and don’t require too much space are big advantages.
Sandeep Goyal
Info from WHO
- In 2017, 71% of the global population (5.3 billion people) used a safely managed drinking-water service – that is, one located on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination.
- 90% of the global population (6.8 billion people) used at least a basic service. A basic service is an improved drinking-water source within a round trip of 30 minutes to collect water.
- 785 million people lack even a basic drinking-water service, including 144 million people who are dependent on surface water.
- Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces.
- Contaminated water can transmit diseases such diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 485 000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.
- By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
- In least developed countries, 22% of health care facilities have no water service, 21% no sanitation service, and 22% no waste management service.
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