Sustainable Water for Humanity’s Survival

Earth is in a state of despair: there are global water shortages caused by historically poor management of water resources, paired with the frequent natural disasters occurring across the planet, as a result of climate change and global warming. With our population growing, there is an increased demand for water from the same water sources we have always had access to. Overexploitation of these sources is causing them to dry up, following which we resort to digging deeper and deeper. This digging is causing us to unearth toxic minerals which mix with our water sources. Yet this cycle continues.

But Earth is home. It is the only planet known to man where life exists, where humanity exists, and that too because of the presence of water. The United Nations, among other global organisations, have been warning us about freshwater being unavailable by 2050, for decades. While there has been a change in how we approach the matter of water, it is not rapid enough. There is still a dependence on unsustainable water solutions, poor water infrastructure, and ignorance of good WASH practices, especially in developing nations.

A CHANGE IS NEEDED

The issue with current common water solutions is that they utilise dated purification methods, and only purify only one-third of all water they utilise, while the remaining two-thirds is rejected as wastewater. With global water scarcity, these solutions are clearly not suitable for use. Another major concern is nonrevenue water, i.e. water lost before it reaches the user. Many public water utility providers depend on date water purification as mentioned earlier while also on dated infrastructure. Usually, this includes pipes that require repair, causing water to leak from them. These leaks can add up to large volumes over a month, let alone a year.

While there are advances in water purification, water recycling and reuse, a potential answer to water scarcity lies up in the sky. Water on land exists most likely due to the natural hydrological cycle. It evaporates from the seas and oceans in large quantities, travels a large distance in the atmosphere, and later condenses and falls to the ground. This eventually replenishes surface water bodies and even sinks deep into the ground into groundwater aquifers. Global warming is, unfortunately, causing these surface and groundwater sources to dry up. But why limit ourselves to relying on these sources?

RENEWABLE WATER, FROM AIR

The air contains vast volumes of

Photo Credit: Maithri Aquatech’s Founder Ramkrishna Mukkavilli, next to the MEGHDOOT Signature model, capable of generating up to 5000 Litres of Water on a Daily Basis.

water, ever-present, and also replenished throughout the year, making it a renewable source of water. Tapping into this renewable source can open new avenues for water supply. This is exactly what Maithri Aquatech, an Indian water start-up is doing. Utilising the concept of Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG), the company has developed a solution known as – MEGHDOOT (Sanskrit for “Messenger of the Skies”) that draws water from air for consumption.

Their solution is a plug-and-play system, capable of running on renewable energy and is eco-friendly. Maithri Aquatech was founded by Ramkrishna Mukkavilli, an Indian Entrepreneur, after noticing the severe cases of water scarcity in India. Now since the development of MEGHDOOT, the company is exploring new opportunities for utilisation of their technology, not limited to just drinking, but also for use in medical, industrial and pharmaceutical applications.

What makes atmospheric water viable is that, while it has zero water wastage, stress on surface and groundwater bodies is reduced. Large scale utilisation of such a solution would allow groundwater aquifers to recover and surface water sources to once again replenish.

BUILDING A CULTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION

New and sustainable solutions such as MEGHDOOT are being developed across the planet. While in some locations such solutions are readily accepted, many developing countries, especially those with water scarcity are still hesitant to shift from older and unsustainable technologies. The prime reason behind this is the lack of knowledge of the gravity of the water problem and the importance of sustainability.

Countries should learn to embrace Sustainability as a concept, and accept solutions that can enable them to move towards a sustainable and resourcerich future. After all, water is not just for humanity, but for the whole planet.