Clean drinking water being a critical need identified by Maruti Suzuki India Limited in its adopted villages in Haryana, the company has designed a self-sustaining partnership model that provides clean drinking water to villagers at an affordable price. The company recently inaugurated its second water ATM in the Kasan village of Manesar. The water ATM was presented to the community members by Lt. Gen. Dushyant Singh Chauhan, Senior Advisor (Vigilance), Maruti Suzuki, in the presence of village panchayat and community elders. The company bears the initial cost of the water ATM, the panchayat provides the land and the electricity to operate the facility while WaterLife India sets up, operates and maintains the plant for at least 10 years. This partnership ensures that villagers can access clean drinking water, meeting WHO and ISO 10500 standards, at 35 paisa/litre.

Some 11 water ATMs have so far been established by Maruti Suzuki in Haryana under this model since 2016. These are located in the villages adopted by Maruti Suzuki in the state. These water ATMs have seen over 8,700 registrations till now and have dispensed around 5.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water. A.K. Tomer, Executive Director, Corporate Planning, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Access to clean drinking water is a critical need in our adopted villages, many of which have a high migrant population. They need a long-term solution that provides clean drinking water, is self-sustaining and affordable. We have designed a solution around water ATMs where the village panchayats offer land and power for the plant and WaterLife India sets up the plant and maintains it for at least 10 years.

Under a baseline survey conducted by Waterlife, the technology partner of Maruti Suzuki for water ATM projects, various discrepancies were found in the water quality of the villages. The pH as well as the TDS level of the water was found to be on the higher than the permissible limits. Adding to that the sanitary conditions of the reservoir were also below par. The only available clean water was sold at a very high price by families with access to RO purifiers.