India constitutes 16% of the world’s population, but it has only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. According to a recent survey, the groundwater at over 250 of its 700-odd districts is either ‘over-exploited’ or is at a ‘critical’ stage. The crisis is more pronounced in rural areas, where close to 65% of India’s population lives. More than half of the rural households (190 million) do not have tap water connection yet.

Interestingly, the water ATMs have also turned out to be women empowerment ATMs, as a significant number of them are owned and operated by women social entrepreneurs from the local communities. On average, semi-literate women from low-income communities or self-help groups earn $50-70/month.