Could This Dutch Technology Solve India’s Water Crisis?

Daily Mail UK, last year, put out a report stating that India has the world’s highest number of people without access to clean water — imposing a major financial burden for some of the country’s poorest people. Around 75.8 million Indians or 5% of the country’s 1.25 billion population are forced to either buy water at high rates or use supplies that are contaminated with sewage or chemicals

The rapid growth of population and its growing needs has caused the per capita availability of fresh water to decline sharply from 3,000 cubic metres to 1,123 cubic metres over the past 50 years. One in 10 people globally, are trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease for want of a safe, affordable water supply of their own. But there is one company that can solve the country’s water woes, and produce water out of thin air.

This revolutionary, commercially viable Dutch technology is being brought to India by a private company called Kindle Ventures. The technology uses the concept of condensation to turn air into fresh water and can be used in any terrain, provided the minimum temperature of the area is more than 15 degrees centigrade.

The air to water unit uses a turbine that forces air through a heat exchanger where the air is cooled and condensation takes place. Lowering the temperature of air requires minimal energy. When the temperature falls below its dew point, water droplets are formed which are then collected in the water storage compartment. The actual amount of the water that can be produced depends on the average wind speed, the ambient temperature and the relative humidity. This “highly efficient” conversion process is applied via a patented “direct-drive” turbine which uses compressors that generate heat. This heat is then used to cool down large amounts of incoming air, which is displaced by using vents. The technology Air to Water has already been installed in Kuwait, Netherlands and the Caribbean. Goenka says that the technology will be modified keeping in mind the harsh environmental conditions of India. The total cost of this project is estimated to range between 20 lacs- 3crore.