Honeywell Inc, Safe Water Network, USAID and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will jointly launch 50 water kiosks across Hyderabad to dispense potable and affordable drinking water.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, Mark A Green, who is here for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and the Mayor of Hyderabad, Bonthu Ram Mohan, inaugurated a water kiosk at Malakpet. The kiosk can dispense fresh, clean water to three thousand poor people living in the area.
The water kiosk will operate 24/7 and features a six-step treatment process, providing drinking water conforming to world standards. Under the agreement, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) will supply water while GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) will provide land and electricity.
The water kiosk will charge ₹10 for 20 litres of water — roughly the amount of water a family needs each day. The same quantity of water costs as much as ₹90 in the retail market. Highlighting the role of the private sector in solving India’s development challenges, Vikas Chadha, President, Honeywell India, said: “In Telangana, we are building water kiosks in partnership with Safe Water Network, to bring safe, affordable drinking water to communities in need.”
Ravi Sewak, Country Director, Safe Water Network, added: “We focus on driving sustainability by building local capabilities to operate and maintain safe water stations, and mobilise strong grassroots community support. This is an important step towards scaling-up safe water stations in Telangana.”
Over the next year the consortia will install 50 such water kiosks around Hyderabad to provide one lakh fifty thousand people with access to potable drinking water.