Watergen, an Israel-based company that creates clean water out of air, is now providing a source of fresh water for more than 120 children in an orphanage in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Watergen produces an atmospheric water generator known as the GEN-350, which can produce up to 900 liters (240 gallons) of water per day.
With a weight of just 780 kg. (1,700 pounds), the GEN-350 is transportable and can be installed easily. Each unit contains an internal water-treatment system and needs no infrastructure except a source of electricity in order to operate.
GEN-350 was installed at the orphanage as part of a test pilot, estimated to run for about two months.
A popular tourist destination associated with arid weather conditions, Bukhara has recently been experiencing serious water shortages.
Earlier this month, the water supply was disrupted for almost two days. The entire city of Bukhara was left without drinking water, including several busy hotels. Since the local underground water is unusable, fresh water is currently supplied to Bukhara from the city of Samarkand, almost 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.
Watergen President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili said that "Uzbekistan's water utility company was thrilled with our water-from-air solution and requested to run pilots in several other regions of Uzbekistan. Although there is only 20% humidity in the air of Bukhara, the GEN-350 was still able to generate hundreds of liters of high-quality drinking water."
The inauguration ceremony for the new system was attended by senior Uzbeki political leaders, including First Deputy Prime Minister Achilbay Ramatov; Prosecutor General Otabek Murodov; Bukhara region Governor Uktam Barnoev; and Bukhara Mayor Karim Kamolov.
Michael Rutman, Watergen's vice president of sales and marketing, said the children were "very excited to drink the high-quality water."
This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
