Pakistan will soon get clean drinking water from ATM-like water dispensers that are powered by solar energy.

The initiative is the result of a collaborative effort between the Punjab Saaf Pani (Clean Water) Company and the Lahore-based research center Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL).

The two-square-foot prototype machine has been designed to assist the government in its water saving efforts.

Under the project, a water ATM will be installed on a series of water filtration plants being established in both rural and urban fringe areas of the Punjab province.

IPAL is currently seeking an aid amounting to $23,500 from the UK Department of International Development to produce the prototype and install more machines at existing water filtration plants in Punjab.

IPAL programme manager Jawad Abbasi said: "The innovative machines will help the government maintain a record of the exact quantity of clean drinking water being dispensed in a day in a specific locality, besides ensuring its quality."

"We are planning to install the machines at 20 filtration plants in the first phase that will benefit some 17,500 families."

People will be given a card that can be used for claiming the daily share of water.

A central server will be used to carry out an online inspection of the quality and quantity of the water being dispensed.

The project will cover three districts of Punjab that face issues of water contamination, including Bahawalpur, Rajanpur and Faisalabad. The daily quota for every family will be 30 liters.