Israeli Water Tech Firm Pilots Water-From-Air Generator In Gaza

Israeli company Watergen (also Water-gen) inaugurated a new machine based on its water-from-air technology in the Palestinian neighborhood of Abasan al-Kabira in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip last week, the firm announced.

The machine is an atmospheric water generator (AWG) that can make up to 800 liters (211 gallons) of water a day. Known as Gen-M, the generator weighs almost 800 kilograms and is one of several products offered by Watergen.

The generator was set up in Abasan al-Kabira on Wednesday and will be providing freshwater to the municipal building, the company announced in a press release. The device will be powered by electricity and solar energy.

The pilot is a result of cooperative efforts between Watergen, Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, the Palestinian NGO Damour for Community Development and the Abasan al-Kabira municipality. The project is being funded by the Kennedy Leigh Foundation as part of the Arava Institute’s Track II Environmental Forum.

Watergen said in a statement that it accordance with its “belief that every human being, regardless of race, gender or religion has a fundamental right to clean drinking water, we are helping some of Israel’s next-door neighbors gain access to freshwater, a resource that is lacking in Gaza.”

David Lehrer, director of the Arava Institute,said: “The introduction of Watergen into Gaza is not only a proof of concept for a cutting edge technology but a proof of concept that Palestinians and Israelis can do more than launch attacks at each other. We can, instead, work together to improve lives, solve humanitarian problems, build trust, and restore hope.”

Founded in 2009, Watergen develops and manufactures a number of water generators including the Gen-M, the Gen-L model, a large atmospheric water generator which can produce up to 5,000 liters (1320 gallons) of clean water per day, and the Gen-M Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), which transports Watergen units in emergency situations and natural disasters. Last year, Watergen also rolled out the “Genny,” an at-home water generator capable of producing between 25-30 liters (6.6-7.9 gallons) of water per day. The Solar Genny – powered by solar panels – will become available later this year.

All of Watergen’s units are powered by what it calls heat-exchange GENius tech which creates water by cooling collected air at its dew point. The water goes through physical, chemical, and biological treatment followed by a mineralization process to maintain its cleanliness, taste and health quality.