KENDRAPARA: Around 20 water ATMs installed in rural areas of Rajkanika block have become defunct due to lack of maintenance. The automated water dispensing units were installed last year to provide clean drinking water to people at a very low price. Sources said water ATMs at Olaver, Pegarapada, Namatra, Nahulia, Nuapada and other villages became inoperative nearly six months back but the officials concerned are yet to repair the units though summer is now at its peak.
A water vending machine works like any bank ATM and dispenses pure drinking water when a coin is inserted into it. Each unit costs Rs 2 lakh and has a storage capacity of over 60 litre. One can get a litre of clean drinking water for only Rs 1.
Ramesh Sahoo of Olaver said, “We were happy when a water ATM was installed in front of the local high school last year. But the machine stopped dispensing water a few months after its installation.” Similarly, Narahari Das of Nuapada said the water ATM installed in his village has been lying defunct for more than six months. “The taps and outlet pipes are broken and the coin slot damaged. We have requested the officials and our sarpanch to repair it several times but to no avail,” he alleged.
Kali Prasanna Nayak, a retired school teacher of Rajkanika, alleged that the ATMs are lying unused due to negligence of the block officials. “The authorities should repair all the defunct machines soon to provide relief to people in the summer,” he said.
Contacted, block development officer (BDO) of Rajkanika Rabinarayan Acharya admitted that most of the water ATMs have become inoperative. “Recently, panchayat executive officers were asked to repair or replace the defunct water ATMs at the earliest.”