Khan hiếm nuớc tại Ấn Độ và Chương trình mua nuớc lọc qua trạm ATM

Water security is an issue faced by people all over India. Only 30 percent of those in rural areas have access to safe tap water.

Sometimes the issue is the climate, and sometimes the problems are manmade. But there can be manmade solutions too.

In the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, annual rainfall can be as low as 100 millimeters.

Rajasthan is known as the desert state. Water is so scarce that many people prewash plates with sand to scrape off food particles before rinsing with water. But the problems aren't limited to supply. Water safety is just as important. There is a widespread occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in the groundwater. This has caused health problems like stomach disorders and joint pains among local residents. Fertilizers and pesticides are also causes of the contamination.

Entrepreneurs have come up with a solution: water servers operated with a prepaid card. Known as a "water ATM," it costs 6 cents for every 20 liters. Locals flock here each morning to fetch water.

"Tasty water is now conveniently available," a male villager says at one of the machines.

"Excellent quality! I drink it a lot," says another.

The unit uses reverse-osmosis technology to purify groundwater and remove particles.

Dinesh Jain is the entrepreneur behind the business. He was among the first to cash in on the water business last year in his home state of Rajasthan.

"There is a basic reason. The volume of business available in the water sector in the rural area is so vast, and the players in this particular field are very limited. So we have very big field to work upon," Jain says.

Rajural Sain is a water ATM customer from a local village. Every morning, he buys 40 liters of water for his family of 16.

The day begins by cooking curry. Until recently, murky well water was all that was available.

"I am happy that my kids are healthier," says his wife, Kimura. "We now spend much less on medicine."

The water costs the family about $2 a month. That's not cheap in a country where the average monthly income for rural families is about $28.

Still, Sain says the outlay is worth it. "Six cents is cheap given that a pack of cigarettes costs 12 cents," he says. Jain says he has seen his profits grow 100-fold over the past year. His ambition is to install water ATMs in 500,000 villages around the country.

"It is transforming in terms of awareness about their own health. If we develop this small solution for water for individuals, if we solve the problem, I think the national income automatically will increase," Jain says.

Many people in India still lack access to safe water, although it is a basic human right. Fixing that problem in this fast-growing country is an urgent task. And given the size of the market, it makes both ethical sense and business sense to tackle it now.

Nguồn: NHK / Aiko Doden