18 May,2011 07:11 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
The Western Railway has installed a water-purifying machine in the Bandra Terminus; plans are being mulled to install such systems in other busy stations across the city
Taking note of the soaring mercury levels in the city, authorities of the Western Railway (WR) have installed a reverse osmosis water-purifying machine at the Bandra Terminus, which will provide succour to as many as 70 lakh passengers every day.
A reverse osmosis water-purifying machine
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Plans are being mulled to install more machines in stations across the city. This is the second such machine installed by the body, the first being at the Mumbai Central Station.
The new machine has been provided by the agency free of cost, in return for advertisement rights.
Passengers have welcomed the installation with great relief. Somnath Yadav, who regularly commutes between Malad and Charni Road, said, "I work as a marketing executive and I have to travel across the length and breadth of the city.
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The water that I carry from home does not sustain me throughout the day. The railway stations have water coolers, but they look dingy and unhygienic. With these new reverse osmosis machines, passengers like me will be benefited immeasurably."
Yadav's sentiments were echoes by other passengers. Smita Patil, a regular passenger between Thakurli and Sandhurst Road, said, "Lakhs of people commute by the trains everyday, making water purifiers indispensable at the stations.
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The water coolers, which are available at the platforms, are situated in squalid corners of the stations, and even thirsty people do not feel encouraged to drink water from their taps. With these new systems, I can now fill my water bottle and safely consume the water."
Only six machines have been installed so far in the country, at Bandra Terminus, Surat, Valsad and other stations.
However, other busy stations of the city, which record heavy footfalls, will also be plied with these machines soon. Sharat Chandrayan, chief PRO, WR, said, "We will consider the option of installing the machines at other suburban railway stations."
A K Singh, PRO, Central Railways (CR), said, "We are already in the process of installing water purifiers in long distance trains. Though there are water coolers at all the suburban railway stations, we are considering the installation of reverse osmosis machines at railway stations."
Many remote railway stations along the city's fringes have had to make do with water supplied by tankers.
With this new initiative undertaken by the railway authorities, there is hope that commuters passing by these stations will have access to clean and safe drinking water in the near future. The plants will also be monitored by senior railway officials, for maintenance of hygiene levels.
