The water ATM is a water supply system used to treat and distribute water that is fit for human consumption. The Water ATM has been used in Kenya, located in East Africa and India. The cost of buying water from a Water ATM is low, about half a US cent for a 5 gallon container.
Normally it would cost as much as 30 cents for the same 5 gallon container. This is an ingenious way to distribute water in times of drought not just in the third world countries but in the developed world as well. It should be included in any survival guide that is meant to help communities deal with water scarcity.
As global carbon levels rise, mega-droughts that were a rare occurrence in the past will be common. We need ways to control usage of fresh water and make drinking water accessible for all. A water ATM is one of the ways that can be used to distribute water to all and avoid water wars among communities.
In the southern part of the United States, the Colorado River’s water levels are dwindling. Water treaties between the United States and Mexico are only a temporary measure to avoid water wars. A few years back, even the Mexican government did not anticipate they would need so much water for their population.
Now as it stands, there is not enough to reach the Colorado delta in Mexico. It is possible that even the residents of the Southern part United States who depend on the Colorado River for their domestic use will find it hard to have enough water to water their lawns, irrigate their farms and still have enough to run the industries.
With dwindling water resources, people and governments will need survival skills and survival guides to help them manage and share the little available water resources. A water ATM could be a valuable addition to the survival guide of any government. It will enable it to ration water and ensure controlled domestic use of water and avoid wastages and spillages from burst pipes.
Las Vegas is famous with campaigns such as Cash for grass and water Cops. Residents who plant desert grass are paid $20 per square inch of grass planted while the Water Cops go around streets looking for water spillages. Controlling how drinkable water is used and shared is a survival skill all should embrace if we are to conserve and equally share drinkable water.