Pi-lo, Magar Pyaar Se: Queue Up At Water ATMs This World Water Day

Have you spotted those water dispensing machines in & around Delhi? Here’s the story behind the Pi-lo ‘water ATMs’.

Pi-lo, an automated water-vending machine (Photo: The Quint)

I recently read a report that said that by 2020 there would be more plastic waste than fish in the sea. There is a huge threat to our lives. What would humanity rely on if we destroy our water resources?

Vikas Malik, Social Worker and Co-founder of Pi-lo 

Social worker Vikas Malik’s fears are a reality in India, where at least 7.6 crore people are still deprived of access to drinking water.

On World Water Day, The Quint brings you a peek into Malik’s initiative, Pi-lo, which aims to make drinking water affordable and accessible. Pi-lo water vending machines dispense filtered water at Rs 2 for 250 ml and Rs 5 for a litre (around four times cheaper than bottled mineral water).

These ‘water ATMs’ are currently up and running at a few metro stations in Delhi/NCR – Karol Bagh, Rajiv Chowk and Botanical Garden, to name a few.

The Process Behind Pi-Lo Water

Pi-lo co-founder, Jatin Ahlawat, says that four glasses of water are wasted to make one glass of RO water. Pi-lo uses Zero Liquid Discharge technology, under which 95 percent of the input water is made available for consumption. As compared to other purification processes, Pi-lo ensures 75 percent more of groundwater conservation, Ahlawat claims.

When you drink a glass of Pi-lo water, only 5 percent of the groundwater is wasted.

Both Malik and Ahlawat are quick to admit that the battle against water shortage is not an easy one. Will Pi-lo be successful? Only time will tell.

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

Cameraperson: Sanjoy Deb

Graphics: Kunal Mehra