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
