It was just an idea until now. But things are already taking shape around the production of water from the air. This is demonstrated by the partnership that has just been signed between Rainmaker Worldwide, a company specialising in water production, and Carlaw Group, a private equity firm. The two Canadian companies have decided to launch a joint venture to produce drinking water from the air.
The solution will be deployed in several African countries including Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The joint venture will establish a subsidiary in Africa with a 51% and 49% stake respectively in Rainmaker/Carlaw, which will implement water as a service (WaaS) solutions through agreements signed with actors in the mining and construction sectors; as well as “through a water bottling operation using Rainmaker’s hybrid energy Air-to-Water solutions”.
A suitable solution for arid areas
The two companies project a turnover of US$50 million per year after the deployment of the airborne water production systems in the four selected countries in West and East Africa. According to Rainmaker, the future joint venture will set up an urban initiative to work closely with the private sector and global humanitarian organisations to identify areas of severe water scarcity and then define appropriate and innovative solutions.
“By using air-water units, the water produced is ecologically and socially sustainable, which means that it is free of chemicals and has a zero or low carbon footprint. Rainmaker’s urban initiative will address the issue of drinking water and save lives,” says the Peterborough, Canada-based Company. Through the production of water from the air, Carlaw Group and Rainmaker Worldwide want to improve access to safe drinking water in Africa.
According to the United Nations (UN), only one person in four has access to a safe source of drinking water on the African continent. In Africa south of the Sahara, where the situation is more critical, only 24% of the population has access to this essential service.
Jean Marie Takouleu