A man in Gaza accesses drinking water obtained from the air with a machine from the Israeli company Watergen on Nov. 16, 2020.
An Israeli company called Watergen has developed new water-producing machines that can extract drinking water from the air and can produce between 5,000 and 6,000 liters of water per day. The company has donated several of these machines to the neighboring Gaza region (Gaza) to help solve the water shortage problem of the local population.
Gaza, located in the Palestinian West Bank, has long lacked sufficient drinking water. Since the militant group Hamas occupied the area in 2007, its 2 million residents have faced a border blockade by the Israeli government.
Prolonged power cuts have led to increasing water contamination, so local residents rely on drinking water sold by businesses. This drinking water is made from groundwater that has been desalinated. But UNICEF estimates that about one-third of this drinking water is contaminated before it is sold.
Studies have linked the growing problem of kidney stones and diarrhea in Gaza to the consumption of substandard drinking water.
In order to help local residents with their drinking water problems, Watergen, after an application process, has developed a water production machine to be installed in public places in Gaza, where local residents can access drinking water for free.
A man in Gaza gets drinking water from the air with a machine from the Israeli company Watergen on Nov. 16, 2020.
The solar-powered machine cost $61,000. It extracts drinking water from the air and its daily output ranges between 5,000 and 6,000 liters, depending on the humidity of the air.
Watergen CEO Michael Mirilashvili told AFP that when he learned of the drinking water crisis in Gaza, he immediately wanted to provide assistance.
Mirilashvili said, “Our goal is to have drinking water for everyone on the planet …… Obviously, we have to help our neighbors first.”
He admitted that it took quite a while to get the company’s machines approved for release because of Israel’s tight controls on imports into Gaza.
There are currently three water-producing machines developed by Watergen in Gaza. Although not nearly enough, the machines offer a solution to the water shortage.
Watergen has so far installed these water production machines in dozens of countries to assist developing countries that lack potable water facilities, such as India, as well as developed areas that are experiencing drought, such as California, USA.
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