Oh! For a cool glass of clean water…

Hyderabad: No matter how refrigerators may have become a must in homes these days, yet drinking water from a mud pot during the summer gives great pleasure. Notably, many drinking water kiosks known as ‘Chalivendrams’ have come up across the city  where water is provided from earthen pots which have always been a tradition.   They have turned out to be busy spots as the motorists and others stop for a while to quench their thirst.

Sravan Kumar coordinator for Machukonda Foundation Summer water camp at NIMS said “Since last three years, we have been setting up these water kiosks under a service - oriented programme. Every day we get two tankers of drinking water and each tanker costs around Rs 500, though the water board treats the water we again filter it and fill it in the earthen pots so that the people can get cool and hygienic drinking water”.

Ghaffar from Hum Ek Welfare Association said that from last 10 years they have been providing water camps at Musheerabad bus stop. He said that this is free service oriented programme and any person can volunteer with them. Apart from these there are many drinking water kiosks which have set up at various places including Karkhana bus stop, Punjagutta, Begumpet, Banjara Hills, Masab Tank and others.

There are cautious people however who are not totally enamoured by this yeomanly service.  One of them, Srinivas said “Drinking water kiosks put by several NGOs is a good initiative and a service. However sometimes we fear to have water at these centres. The main reason for fear would always be the cleanliness and hygiene. It is very much important to take care while drinking water outside and, in some situations, where we need water inevitably, we have to drink there. It would be advisable that everyone should carry a drinking water bottle with them during summer. However, Chalivendrams help a lot for most of the people during hot days”.

BY Aneri Shah