Swipe To Drink

Life is tough for residents of the 1,800 unauthorised colonies scattered across Delhi as they do not have access to piped water supply. In these areas, there is no sewerage also due to lack of legal property ownership and transfer rights. But of late, people in these colonies have got access to clean drinking water round the clock through automated dispensing units. Popularly known as water ATMs, these machines dot slum clusters in Narela, Batla House, Dwarka, Savda Ghevra and Kirti Nagar, among other locations, and have been one of the major factors behind the improved health of the residents.

Similarly, in Assam's Nalbari district, where high levels of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater have led to a rise in cancer cases, water ATMs are a boon, much like in north Karnataka, where groundwater contaminated