The Dussehra week of festivities marks a high point in many Indian families. We celebrate the victory of good over evil and renew hopes of improving our lives and the lives of those around us. The season is characterised by innovative artistry, delicious gastronomical options to indulge in, and fun and frolic amongst the old and young alike. Though debatable, it’s my conviction that there are very few cities in the country that match up to the sheer scale and size of festivities during this phase as experienced in the City of Joy – Kolkata.
Like every year, I had expected excellent design concepts from artisans across the city to come to the forefront, and was not surprised by the quality of work. However, what did surprise me was the role envisaged from technology in this scheme of things. Case in point is the installation of a water ATM – yup my eyes popped out when I saw this kiosk – outside a famous Puja pandal in Ekdalia, Kolkata. With a desire to quench my thirst, I walked up to this kiosk to understand its functioning. While the ATM door was locked from outside, I came to understand from conversations with local policemen that this installation is part of the state’s Pran Dhara initiative to provide clean packaged drinking water. The concept is
elegantly simple – users are expected to insert two `1 coins and in exchange the ATM will dispense a litre of potable drinking water.
On researching further, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this scheme has already been implemented in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, among other states. The technology is the brainchild of Piramal Foundation, the corporate social responsibility branch of global business conglomerate Piramal group. The group founded an organisation called Sarvajal in 2008 to provide clean drinking water to those who don’t have access to it. Using the simple RO (reverse osmosis) technology and being completely solar powered, these water ATMs can dispense clean water, calculate the amount released and accordingly charge the user a nominal cost.
The implementation of this idea is yet to be tested, and having ATMs with locks outside them like the one I experienced does dampen our hopes. However, what excites me about this is the use of technology to bring about social change, and this initiative by state governments in partnership with Piramal Foundation is a baby step towards a wonderful direction.