Water ATMs

Transcript:

No, it's not an ATM, but a machine selling clean drinking water.

It's part of a project launched by the city government in the Indian capital, Delhi.

People use pre-paid cards to fill containers for a small fee. The water comes from a local, low-cost treatment plant.

The scheme may be changing the lives of these residents, but for millions across the country without access to clean water, more initiatives will be needed.

Vocabulary:

drinking water water that is safe to drink

pre-paid (also: prepaid) already paid for

treatment (here) a process in which something is cleaned and/or prepared for use

access (here) the opportunity to use or have something

initiatives new plans or projects

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports.

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

drinking water / pre-paid / treatment / access / initiatives

1. York City Council is applying for government grants to make the housing energy and water efficient and to pay for green transport _________.

2. There is no need for cash. The shop accepts World Food Programme (WFP) food vouchers and will soon switch to _________ debit cards.

3. Perth can now get half of its _________ from the ocean, although conservationists worry that the process is expensive and energy hungry.

4. Jersey's sewage _________ plant needs to be replaced at the cost of £75m, according to the council of ministers.

5. In Wales, more than 90% of homes now have _________ to organic recycling facilities.

Answers:

1. York City Council is applying for government grants to make the housing energy and water efficient and to pay for green transport initiatives.

<span xml:lang="en">Source: <link type="page"><caption> York sugar factory redevelopment plan unveiled</caption><url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-25133751" platform="highweb"/></link> </span>

2. There is no need for cash. The shop accepts World Food Programme (WFP) food vouchers and will soon switch to pre-paid debit cards.

<span xml:lang="en">Source: <link type="page"><caption> Camp for Syrian refugees starts to look more like home</caption><url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26565060" platform="highweb"/></link> </span>

3. Perth can now get half of its drinking water from the ocean, although conservationists worry that the process is expensive and energy hungry.

<span xml:lang="en">Source: <link type="page"><caption> How Australia's Perth is battling a water crisis</caption><url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27225396" platform="highweb"/></link> </span>

4. Jersey's sewage treatment plant needs to be replaced at the cost of £75m, according to the council of ministers.

<span xml:lang="en">Source:<link type="page"><caption> Jersey sewage plant 'needs to be replaced</caption><url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-26774812" platform="highweb"/></link>' </span>

5. In Wales, more than 90% of homes now have access to organic recycling facilities.

<span xml:lang="en">Source: <link type="page"><caption> Call for end to 'throwaway society</caption><url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28460705" platform="highweb"/></link>'</span>