In the city of Delhi, there are 800 listed unauthorised slums, home to some 1.8 million people that do not qualify for a secured, piped water connection. Despite the demand for a reliable water source and the willingness to pay for safe water, urban – slum residents often, have to buy water from unreliable sources like private water tankers that lack quality assurance and are unable to reach many areas. These sources are often considerably more expensive, and considerably less safe, than the water provided by the utility.

JanaJal is a brand by Supremus Developers, delivering safe drinking water using technology-based solutions in India. Their products include water ATMs, on-site filtration units, and the recently developed water-on-wheels (WOWs) service. JanaJal WOWs are mobile water dispensers, fitted to modified auto-rickshaws that deliver mobile water ATM services.

The GSMA is supporting JanaJal to trial and launch their product in three to five slums in Delhi – these areas will be served by 25 WOWs. Each JanaJal WOW is an IoT-enabled three-wheeler that operates on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and can distribute approximately 3,000 litres of water per day. WOWs offer real-time monitoring of water quality, customer orders and volume of water dispensed. Customers can also purchase water using various digital wallets/interfaces.

JanaJal is one of the start-ups supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund for Digital Urban Services, which was launched in May 2021. This initiative is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and supported by the GSMA and its members.

To learn more about the GSMA Innovation Fund, click here.