India Water Crisis

The Better India

Posted on January 28, 2026February 26, 2026 by thehipelement.manager

This Kolkata-Based Startup Is Turning Air Into Water — Over 100 Million Litres and Counting

From Curiosity to Climate Action

Founded by Navkaran Singh Bagga, Akvo Atmospheric Water Systems is redefining how India thinks about drinking water. Headquartered in Kolkata, the company has generated over 100 million litres of clean drinking water across 15 countries — without extracting a single drop from the ground.

With cities like Bengaluru and Chennai facing recurring shortages, and water stress rising in Mumbai, the urgency is clear. Bagga, who studied finance but nurtured a lifelong passion for technology, launched Akvo in 2017 to decentralise access to safe water using Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs).

Turning Humidity into Drinking Water

Akvo’s AWGs extract moisture from ambient air, filter it, cool it to trigger condensation, and purify the collected water through multi-stage filtration and UV treatment. Essential minerals are then added to ensure the water is safe and balanced for consumption.

The systems perform especially well in humid regions and can operate on grid electricity, solar panels, or generators. Depending on climate conditions, they can produce between 2.5 to 4 litres of water per unit of electricity.

Since its first deployment in 2018, Akvo has installed more than 2,000 systems across India, the Middle East, and parts of South America.

Sustainable Solutions for Industry and Communities

Akvo’s clients include manufacturing plants, renewable energy sites, and hospitals seeking to reduce reliance on groundwater and plastic bottles. At the Tuppadahalli Wind Farm in Karnataka, operated by Acciona, water is now generated on-site — aligning clean water production with renewable power generation.

The company also offers a flexible BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model, allowing businesses to adopt sustainable water systems without upfront capital investment. Clients simply pay for the water they consume.

Scaling with Purpose

Operating with a lean team and without external investors, Akvo has focused on mission-driven growth. Its systems range from 50-litre units to industrial-scale machines producing up to 30,000 litres per day.

As expansion plans target water-stressed yet humid regions in Africa and the Gulf, the vision remains clear: decentralised, climate-resilient water access that reduces dependence on pipelines, tankers, and bottled water.

Akvo’s journey is not just about technology — it is about rethinking water itself. Instead of digging deeper into the ground, the company looks upward, tapping into the vast reservoir already present in the air around us.

Read the full original article here: The Better India

The Hans India

Posted on September 29, 2025February 25, 2026 by thehipelement.manager

India’s water paradox is stark—we have abundant rivers and monsoons, yet face recurring shortages. Over 80% of our drinking water comes from underground aquifers, but relentless extraction is depleting them. Cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi are already seeing the consequences through sinking water tables, salinity, and supply conflicts.

Traditional fixes—dams, canals, and desalination—help but come with ecological and economic trade-offs. With demand outpacing supply, it’s clear we need new approaches.

One overlooked source lies above us: the atmosphere. It holds six times more water than Earth’s rivers. With Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs), we can harvest humidity and convert it into safe drinking water—right where it’s needed. This decentralized model cuts dependence on tankers, pipelines, and plastic bottles, while offering resilience in times of patchy rainfall or aquifer stress.

India’s humid climate makes AWGs especially viable. They can complement rainwater harvesting, recharge programs, wastewater treatment, and desalination—diversifying our water portfolio much like solar energy transformed power generation. With the right policy recognition, corporate adoption, and public mindset shift, atmospheric water can become a mainstream solution.

Water should not be a privilege but a basic right, as accessible as switching on a light. By looking up, not just down, India can move from depletion to renewal.

Read the full article here: The Hans India

DT Next

Posted on March 22, 2025 by admin

As India battles rising water scarcity worsened by climate change and extreme weather, researchers and innovators are pushing beyond conventional methods to secure sustainable water sources.

On World Water Day, attention turns to ideas like rain energy harvesting, atmospheric water generation (AWG), and glacier monitoring.

Dr. Visakh Vaikuntanathan of Shiv Nadar University is working on converting the kinetic energy of rain—typically lost as sound—into usable energy through “all-weather” cells that act as both solar and rain-powered generators. His team uses IMD data to estimate rainfall energy and aims to create a rain energy map for India.

Meanwhile, atmospheric water is emerging as a dependable source. A study in Nature outlined a sorption-based atmospheric harvesting system that could revolutionize agriculture.

Navkaran Singh Bagga, CEO of Akvo Atmospheric Water Systems, highlights the company’s use of AWG technology in 15 countries. Akvo’s newly launched Water-on-Want (WoW) initiative in four Indian states (TN, KA, MH, GJ) offers water generation on an OPEX-based BOOT model, eliminating upfront CAPEX and ensuring a minimum of 500 LPD for corporates.

“The WoW model removes financial risk and promotes sustainable access to water,” said Mr. Bagga.

Technologies are also crucial for glacier monitoring, with experts like Dr. Dipankar Saha warning of the cascading effects of glacial melt on India’s rivers and groundwater. Companies like Suhora are applying satellite data and predictive analytics to monitor glacial changes and prepare communities.

India’s looming water crisis—projected to worsen by 2030 with demand outpacing supply—calls for urgent adoption of such innovative solutions.

To read the full article visit: DT Next

India’s Water Crisis Explained

Posted on September 20, 2018June 22, 2025 by admin

In India, the rate at which groundwater supplies are depleting is shocking. More groundwater is being consumed than the natural processes that replenish them. It’s not surprising, given the population of the country, that we are the largest users of ground water in the world, just behind China. The 2030 Water Resources Group, made up of private companies, argues that the “water gap” (between insufficient supply and excess demand) in Asia will only close once countries limit the water-intensity of their economies. Continue reading “India’s Water Crisis Explained”

Akvo Water from Air Pilot Program – Damoh, MP

Posted on August 1, 2018June 22, 2025 by admin

Hardua Mangarh, a small village in Damoh faces drought on a regular basis and coupled with depleting ground water available, the local Government has been fighting water crisis for the past few years. With no source of water, providing safe drinking water to the local population has become a challenge.

On August 2018, the local government sought Akvo’s Air to water technology to test its water from air machines in a pilot program to meet the drinking water demands. Akvo in coordination with the local authorities installed its Akvo 365K machine, a 1000 Liter of water from air per day machine thus ensuring continuous supply of uninterrupted safe drinking water for local population of Hardua Mangarh.

After the completion of the pilot program more Akvo Atmospheric water generators will be installed in strategic locations to fulfil the drinking water demand.