Delhi govt to set up RO-ATMs in city locations dependent on water tankers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday directed the installation of RO ATMs at locations, adjacent to JJ clusters, where water supply is provided by tankers, to eliminate tanker culture in the national capital.

He announced the decision during a meeting with the Delhi Jal board and Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj.

During the meeting, the CM reviewed the condition of water supply in Delhi, RO ATMs, cleanliness of Yamuna and cleaning of main and peripheral drains which took place for the first time in Delhi, a government statement said.

Kejriwal asked the DJB for a detailed plan for complete cleaning of the Yamuna by June 2024.

So far, RO plants have been installed in Hari Nagar’s Khajan Basti, Shakurbasti, Deshbandhu Apartments in Kalkaji and Jharoda, and 30 more RO plants are being installed. There is a plan to install around 500 RO factories in Delhi.

The results of these RO installations are promising and people have been provided with water ATMs (cards) for this purpose, the government said in the statement.

Everyone can tap 20 liters of water per day via these water dispensers.

The government on Friday said it will deploy RO ATMs in areas where water supply is through tankers, restricting the use of tankers only in case of emergency.

The CM also directed all relevant agencies to acquire land for installation of these RO ATMs, the statement said.

During the review meeting, the CM was informed by the DJB officials that the DJB is currently producing 990 MGD (million gallons per day) of water and has plans to increase it to 1222.65 MGD. Groundwater extraction through tube wells is underway, with 224 tube wells already allocated for the task, the report said.

In areas where the groundwater level is significantly low, 441 tube wells will be installed. Water will be extracted from lakes at seven locations through groundwater recharge and will be supplied after treatment at RO plants, the report said.

Efforts are also underway to set up a centralized treatment plant for ammonia removal in East Delhi.

Officials said 145 tube wells are currently being deployed to extract water from different parts of the city, pumping 18 MGD, a number that will increase to 27 MGD in the coming days, it added.

Kejriwal, in turn, directed DJB officials to conduct a survey of all existing tube wells in Delhi and find out where else they are needed.

The CM demanded a full report within a week with details of the number of tube wells installed so far and how many of them are operational.

A team led by a senior engineer will be formed for the investigation, the statement said.

Kejriwal proposed to form teams for the seven lakes and sewage treatment plants and directed to form teams for water recharge and recycling.

He directed rapid installation of RO plants in all seven lakes.

The CM said the tender process for 24-hour water supply in East and Northeast Delhi is already underway, the statement added.

Kejriwal during the meeting expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of progress in sewage treatment work and demanded that it be accelerated so that Yamuna can be made clean.