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