Navkaran Singh Bagga is the founder of AKVO, a company which provides safe and pure drinking water using the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology. Bagga spoke to BE’s Kuntala Sarkar.
Category: Press
PR News Wire
AKVO is the most cost-efficient Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) generating drinking water from thin air.
The topic of water scarcity has always been discussed from marking Day Zero in Cape Town, South Africa 2018 to finding effective ways to transport drinkable water to regions affected by natural disasters. The primary requirement of water is in the equatorial regions during the summers. Continue reading “PR News Wire”
ET Now
Navkaran Singh Bagga, Founder and CEO of AKVO Atmospheric Water Sytems Pvt. Ltd. was invited on ET Now’s SME Initiative ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ where he talks about atmospheric water generators as a viable source of renewable water source for the future. He also talks about his vision and way forward. Continue reading “ET Now”
Akvo at African Utility Week
African Utility Week is Africa’s leading trade exhibition for the power and water sector and provides business opportunities for solution providers, utilities and large power users. This year at the 18th African Utility Week, Akvo Atmospheric Water Generators was proud to associated with the event from 15 – 17 May 2018 at Cape Town, South Africa.
The Statesman
Ensuring a perennial source
Akvo, an atmospheric water generator system, is one of the perfect alternatives to combat the crisis of scarcity.
With the increasing rate of different kinds of environmental pollution, availability of fresh water has now become a distant dream. More than half the population in India have poor or no access to safe drinking water. Continue reading “The Statesman”
Telegraph India
Eye-popping products at EZCC show.
Drinking water out of thin air. That is what one of the stalls claimed to produce with a machine called Atmospheric Water Generator.
WATER FROM AIR
Drinking water out of thin air. That is what one of the stalls claimed to produce with a machine called Atmospheric Water Generator.
“You don’t need any natural or artificial source of water be it a tap, a tank, a pond or a river,” smiled the man at the counter.
AKVO, a Calcutta-based company, manufactures drinking water using a air-to-water technology which replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to produce water continuously.
The machine produces water ranging from 30 to 1,000 litres, depending on the product specification, from atmospheric moisture in the air and filters out the dust and micro particles in air through a powerful organic filtrating process. It reportedly has litle maintenance cost, unlike other purifiers.
“Decline in rainfall, depletion of fresh water resources and increase in population are posing great threats to humanity. In the days to come, when we will have to face water scarcity, such a product would be a blessing,” the company official at the stall said.
The machine that produces 30l daily will cost Rs 60-70,000 and will be available in a couple of months. The 100l Akvo is available in the market and costs about Rs 1 lakh. Orders are coming in from Dubai and South Africa, he said.
Read the article here: Telegraph India
Entrepreneur India
This Second Generation Entrepreneur is Striving to Solve India’s Impending Water Crisis
The young-preneur plans to work on other sources of water, energy and renewables that can take us to the next step of sustainability.
There is a saying that being an entrepreneur isn’t just about starting a business, but about looking at an opportunity, grasping it with both hands and following it through. This is the philosophy that drives this second generation entrepreneur who has been striving to bring in innovation and diversification ever since he joined the family business in September 2007.
There are many things which a person learns as an entrepreneur and it does not change with respect to one being a first generation or second generation, the challenges are similar. It is always the thought process which makes all the difference. His father and mentor, Harbans Singh Bagga, founder, Trishan Group of Companies and an enthusiast for diversification – Navkaran Singh Bagga always had the opportunity to be a risk-taker.
Trishan Group, with an annual turnover of approximately INR 95 Crores, is a diversified group of companies with interests in International Trade, Hospitality and High Precision CRCA Steel. Established in 1999 with its flagship company Trishan Exports Pvt Ltd, with International Trade in Export and Import of Bicycles and various Engineering Goods, the group diversified into hospitality with the Dee Empresa Hotel in 2007. Further Expansion has led the group into the acquisition of Walzen Steel Pvt Ltd. now Trishan Metals Pvt Ltd.
The Innovator
Presently Navkaran is the Director of Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd, and also the Director at Trishan Metals Pvt. Ltd. which a joint venture with IFB Industries Ltd. for manufacturing specialised Automotive Grade Steel. Currently, he is also the Chairman of Alfa Network, the Youth Forum of ASSOCHAM which has a clear focus on promoting Entrepreneurship in India.
Though tough, Navkaran Singh enjoys the challenges that come with handling multiple businesses. “The rule that I follow is to love what you do. If you don’t love it, you will never have the capability or the inclination to look beyond the obstacles and the difficulties,” he enthused,
In addition to managing the diverse verticals of the family business, this young-preneur has now come up with an innovation to solve the growing water crisis of the country. Navkaran is currently working on AKVO, which promises to provide safe and pure drinking water using the AWG (Atmospheric Water Generator) technology.
Providing Solutions to an Impending National Crisis
According to a report by WaterAid, a global advocacy group on water and sanitation; India has around 63.4 million people living in rural areas without access to clean water. That is more than the combined population of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand. With 67% of India’s population living in the rural areas and 7% of the rural population living without access to clean water, India’s rural poor are highly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events and climate change.
16% of India’s rural families have piped water. Only 26.9 million out of 167.8 million households (16%) in rural India have piped water, according to data provided by the ministry of drinking water and sanitation to the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) on February 6, 2017.
AKVO replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating a dew point, which allows it to make water continuously, even in low humidity conditions. The endeavour is to combat water issues experienced worldwide by providing environmentally conscious water options to homes, businesses, industries and in an emergency situation as a complete disaster relief solution.
Being the Change one Wants to See
Navkaran has always been very environmentally conscious and has always strived to use the best environmental practices in his personal life. The thought of generating safe drinking water had always intrigued him as he read about the growing water crisis across India.
“Once I looked into this untapped source of water, I engaged a research team to study the possibility of building a system. It took me over a year to build the first running machine. After a thorough research on Indian climate, the market viability, competitors and the industry the development aspect of the AWG machine was initiated,” shared Navkaran.
Team AKVO, headed by Navkaran, includes 10 members for R&D and has Pradeep Verma, an ex- Berkshire Hathaway, who has joined as Head of Global Business.
“We must bring about a change in the agriculture sector. I plan to think, innovate and invest in newer and cost-efficient technologies while using the earth’s natural resources as a platform. The technology used by AKVO must find its way towards common usage where it can be effectively used, such as in hospitals, railways and municipalities, as a source of potable water. Besides, it must reach the rural populace and find large-scale use in India by 2050. I also intend to work on other sources of water, energy and renewables that can take us to the next step of sustainability,” concluded the young Bagga.
Read the article here: Entrepreneur.com
India Education Diary
AKVO presents India’s most cost efficient and indigenously manufactured Atmospheric Water Generator
Bhubaneswar: Currently India holds the undesirable title of having the highest number of rural people without access to clean water. Although being home to nearly a sixth of the world’s population, India only gets 4% of the Earth’s fresh water. Already more than half of Asia’s third-biggest economy faces high water stress. By 2030, demand is expected to outstrip supply by around 50%. With scientists and geologists trying to find avenues to arrest the attrition of groundwater and climate change, it is time our Country gets its first indigenously manufactured Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology. Designed by Kolkata, AKVO, a unit of Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd. Is the vision of second generation entrepreneur, Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, Director, AKVO and his team of researchers. The prototype of this new price efficient purifier based on AWG platform was showcased in Kolkata, which will soon be launched along with the industrial machines of AKVO 1000 and AKVO 5000 models across India.
Speaking elaborately about this dream project, Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, Director, AKVO, said, “With only 60% of water ready for consumption by 2030, India and rest of the world is staring at a global crisis, unless we care about our environment. The hour has come to try and find sustainable solutions to minimize the use of groundwater and innovate to develop cost efficient technology to provide clean drinking water for mankind. The Indian market is still in its nascent stage when it comes to adopting AWG technology. At AKVO, we are working towards manufacturing the most cost efficient AWG machine indigenously to cater to both industrial and household use. The depleting fresh water reserves along with rapid industrialization in India should augment the demand for AWG products in next few years. Alongside manufacturers need the policy and regulatory support from Government, Municipal bodies and Environment Activists to propose installation of AWGs to address the need of fresh drinking water.”
In line with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, AKVO will be manufacturing all the products indigenously in India at their manufacturing unit near Kolkata. The current capacity of the company is 800 Industrial units per Month and will be scaled up to 2000 units over the course of next 6 months. It is the vision of Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, who as a second generation entrepreneur from Kolkata has come up with a solution to find answer with resilience required to save undue usage of groundwater and year on year operating and maintenance cost with RO filters. With the Union Government already planning adequate measures to address the depleting groundwater crisis and unavailability of clean drinking water, a product like AKVO is ideal for industrial demand, homes, public and private institutions, defence and a perfect model for natural disasters to aid human need and prevent contamination. The most abundant source of fresh water is the Earth’s atmosphere. AKVO AWG replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to make water continuously using plug and play method. AKVO AWG machines can generate water entirely depending on the level of humidity and atmospheric temperature which is ideal in Indian conditions for AWG machines to function to its optimum level.
On this momentous occasion, Mr. Harbans Singh Bagga, Managing Director, Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd. said, “As a responsible Corporate entity this dream project will reduce unnecessary usage of groundwater and give mankind an answer to save the world for future generations.”
Read the article here: India Education Diary
Sunday Guardian Live
Kolkata entrepreneur generates drinking water from moisture
As the country faces a ground water crisis, a Kolkata-based entrepreneur has come out with a solution to generate water by extracting atmospheric moisture and making it usable for drinking purpose.
AKVO, a unit of Trishan Exports, has developed a prototype which is ready with its commercial production, using Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology, with capacity to produce 1000 litre per day pure water. The company is in the process to start production of equipment for domestic use also.
The equipment run on the basic principle of converting atmospheric vapour into liquid form and purify it further so that it can be used for drinking. “It’s like harvesting humidity when it is in the air,” said director of AKVO Navkaran Singh Bagga, who was in the capital recently, while speaking to this newspaper.
The device consists of a system wherein the water extracted from the atmosphere is subjected to four-stage purification. Some minerals are added in the process to make it sweet to drink. So at the end of the process, the final water is completely safe for drinking and is just like an RO water. The USP of the product is that it uses unlimited source of water, which is natural and abundant and that no separate purification is required. Humidity/moisture is present everywhere. If some moisture at a particular place is used for condensation, moisture of surrounding areas fills in at that place after some time. Normally, the humidity is around 80% at a temperature of 28 degree Celsius.
A few hotels and organisations in Kolkata have started using the equipment, which Bagga claims is “fully indigenous”. A 1000 litre capacity equipment costs Rs 9 lakh. Right now, the cost of domestic equipment is coming close to about Rs 1 lakh, which according to Bagga, is too costly for domestic consumers. “We are working out ways to cut the cost so that it can be made available at a reasonable price of Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. We hope we will be able to do it very soon,” he said.
Bagga is talking to Indian Railways and municipal corporations across the country for installing this equipment which can solve the drinking water problem to a great extent. For water ATMs, this device can be used instead of RO, he said, adding the most abundant source of fresh water is Earth’s atmosphere which should be tapped for our use.
When asked if separate equipment needed to be manufactured as percentage of humidity varies from place to place, he said: “We are trying to customise the product depending on the humidity of a particular location. For example, it will be easier to extract water in places like Kolkata or Chennai because of the presence of high quantity of moisture in the atmosphere, but it will consume more power in dry places like Rajasthan. We are trying to come out with a solution which can work best in low humidity areas.”
Read the article here: Sunday Guardian Live
The Economic Times
Converting air to water: Small companies make great strides in water generation
We know that electricity can be created from sunlight and coal can be made from wood. But, now it is possible to get water from thin air on a scale that can make a real difference. Water is not a commodity yet, but it may soon be, so here is what may help when society hits that stumbling block. Continue reading “The Economic Times”