Water ATMs Ration Clean Water Access In Pakistan

Residents of Punjab province in Pakistan will soon be able to take something more prized than cash out of the ATM: water.

That's an appealing innovation in a region that struggles with water scarcity and the inaccessibility of clean water. "The two-foot-square prototype machine looks and functions like an ATM, but dispenses water instead of cash. Users are issued a card they can use to claim a daily share of water," Reuters reported.

The project is being executed by the Punjab Saaf Pani (Clean Water) Company and the Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL), a research center. It "aims to install a water ATM on each of a series of water filtration plants being established in rural and urban fringe areas of Punjab province. The machine is designed to help the government cut water waste and ensure people have access to clean water," the report said.

Sustainability is a high priority in this project. Each device is solar-powered. Here's how the ATM works, as written in the report:

• The devices play an audio message upon authentication of a scanned card, after which they dispense water for the user. Green and red buttons enable the user to start and stop the flow of water.
• A flow control meter manages how much water is dispensed, and sensors measure the amount of water still available.
• Each beneficiary family will be entitled to collect a maximum of 30 liters of clean drinking water daily from the filtration plants with their unique identity card.

The devices will first be deployed in Bahawalpur, Rajanpur and Faisalabad, where water contamination is rampant. "With urbanism quickly on the rise and one-third of the population living in close quarters, the need for water, sanitation and hygiene programs is greater than ever," Charity: Water reported.

In Pakistan, nearly 14 million people lack access to clean water, according to Water Aid. That's about 16 percent of the population. "It is estimated that by 2015 over half of the people in Pakistan will live in urban areas. This rapid migration is putting increased strain on already limited water and sanitation facilities. Over 40,000 children die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Pakistan," the non-profit said.