JanaJal to invest Rs 35 cr, add 750 water ATMs this year

JanaJal, which operates water kiosks popularly known as water ATMs, plans to add 750 more dispensing machines this year taking the total count to 1,000.
An initiative of the Supremus Group, JanaJal intends to strengthen its network of water dispensing machines and expand footprints to states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
"We would install around 750 water ATMs this year and focus on the existing regions. We have plans to invest around Rs 35 crore in 2017 for expansion," JanaJal Founder & CMD Parag Agarwal told PTI.
JanaJal, which has got USD 5 million funding from Tricolor Cleantech Capital, a US-based social impact fund, plans to install the machines at mass transit places such as railway and bus stations and places of social and religious gathering.

'The company presently operates 250 water ATMs, of which around 200 function under Corporate Social Responsibility programme of corporates, he added.
"We invest around Rs 6-8 lakh to set up a water ATM. This also depends on availability of space and factors like water sourcing," Agarwal said.

The company has recently secured contacts from IRCTC to install 39 water ATMs at various local railway stations of Mumbai, which would be completed by the end of this month.
The RO purified water is dispensed in quantities of 250 ml, 1 litre and 20 litres by using either coins or a JanaJal Water ATM card.

"The company monitors and controls quality of each JanaJal unit from a remote Command and Control Centre at Noida, which tracks daily operations and collection of revenue through a GPRS based software," Agarwal said adding that it constantly monitors TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and ph level of water.
A water ATM dispenses 4,000-20,000 litres per day, depending on the surrounding environment.
Presently, several companies are operating water ATMs like Piramal Sarvajal, Pi-lo etc.