Scan, Pay & Sip : Bangaluru's RO water Kiosks go digital
Bengaluru: For thousands of families in Bengaluru's water-starved areas, the neighbourhood RO plant proved to be nothing short of a silver lining. When Cauvery supply turned erratic and borewells ran dry, these kiosks would ensure that the families got safe water to drink, and households did not
have to spend a fortune on bottled water.
However, poor maintenance and civic apathy left most of them dysfunctional. Ever since these 1,184 RO plants were handed over to BWSSB, these white elephants have been converted into self-sustaining models.
However, poor maintenance and civic apathy left most of them dysfunctional. Ever since these 1,184 RO plants were handed over to BWSSB, these white elephants have been converted into self-sustaining models.
Refurbishing these RO plants across the city, BWSSB has branded them as digital kiosks and put an end to the coin-enabled transactions at these units. Instead of dropping a Rs 5 coin for 20 litres of potable water, citizens can henceforth just scan the QR code to pay BWSSB directly and fill up their cans. If you are not a smartphone user, you can buy prepaid cards at the BWSSB service centres and swipe them at these RO plants to fill up your cans.
BWSSB has kept them away from political control and pinned the responsibility of maintenance on the contractors by giving them a majority share of the revenue.
Maintained by multiple firms or individuals earlier under BBMP, there was no accountability for transactions and quality of services.
Eventually, the civic body ended up paying huge sums for the upkeep of these plants.
"In some of the plants, even the quality of water was compromised as filter membranes were never changed. The pricing was irrational, with a few charging Rs 15 per can and others Rs 10. Many of them had no dedicated electricity meters and CCTV cameras and defaulted on electricity bills for almost two years," explained a BWSSB engineer.
BWSSB has now brought 1,184 RO plants under 20 packages and rolled out tenders for their maintenance. "In every package, there will be 45-50 plants with three supervisors who keep monitoring the quality of water 24x7. So far, we have been able to repair 836 RO plants in various parts of the city, and very soon they will be made available for public use," another engineer clarified. —-———-
Source By :https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/scan-pay-sip-bengalurus-ro-water-kiosks-go-digital/articleshow/124278296.cms
Source By :https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/scan-pay-sip-bengalurus-ro-water-kiosks-go-digital/articleshow/124278296.cms
