Interviewee: Mr M. Ramkrishna Founder & Managing Director, Maithri Aquatech Pvt Ltd.
Interviewer: Atlanta Mahanta, Sr. Multimedia Journalist, THE TIMES OF AFRICA
Q. Water Scarcity is one of the global challenges at present. Maithri Aquatech Pvt Ltd came up with an advanced technology that has the potential to be the best possible solution. Please share how the whole concept was developed?
A. Globally 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe water at their homes and about 20% people live in regions affected by physical water scarcity. In Africa alone one in three people are affected by water scarcity and the situation is getting worse with population growth, urbanization and adverse impact of climate change and global warming. The situation gets further aggravated due to discharge of wastes into scare water bodies leading to contamination of the water which in turn adversely impacts health.
The scarcity of water is a major issue in our country India as well wherein more than 54% of the country has been facing high to extremely high-water stress levels. Living in such a water stressed country made me realize that there was an urgent need to look for an alternative solution to solve for the growing water needs. In my quest for finding a solution I realized that the solution was actually there around us i.e. in the air around us which contains so much water in the form of moisture that less than 1% was enough to meet the entire requirement of mankind, flora and fauna.
This laid the foundation to the start of the journey for our company Maithri Aquatech. We put in a team of bright engineers and forward thinkers who after years of intense research developed MEGHDOOT (which in Sanskrit means ‘Messenger of the Skies’). The company also partnered with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), a national-level research centre that operates under India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and jointly holds a patent for MEGHDOOT to ensure generation of superior quality of water at all times.
Q. For our readers please tell us more about the product “MEGHDOOT”
A. MEGHDOOT is capable of generating clean, mineral-enriched potable water by tapping literally into thin air to. The water generation process is quite simple – air is drawn into the system and cooled down until the water vapour converts to water, which is collected, filtered through our multi-stage filtration process and mineralized before dispensing.
MEGHDOOT is a decentralized, plug-and-play solution that has zero dependency on ground and surface water sources, while having zero water wastage thus making it an environmentally- friendly solution. This is especially important as common water solutions, especially those using Reverse Osmosis (RO) waste up to two-thirds of the water they purify and no other solution exists to actually generate water. The water generated by MEGHDOOT is mineral-enriched and meets if not exceeds the stringiest WHO (World Health Organization) Standards of Drinking Water quality. The solution is also available with patented customized dosing, allowing for the water quality to be tweaked as per the requirements of the customers.
MEGHDOOT is dependable, as it taps into a perennial resource – air, which contains vast amounts of water, recycled multiple times throughout the year by the natural water cycle.
It is also extremely scalable owing to its modular architecture, allowing it to meet water requirements from tens of litres to millions of litres per day. In addition to this, apart from drinking water, multiple grades of water can be provided to meet the requirements of various applications, be it medical, industrial or agricultural.
MEGHDOOT as a solution is both affordable and energy-efficient and can also run on renewable energy be it solar or wind.
What makes MEGHDOOT unique is that it is the only predictable source to generate water on a sustainable basis.
Q. There are differences in terms of climate, geographical structure of African countries. Is the water quality and quantity going to change?
A. What makes our solution unique is that water generated by MEGHDOOT across the planet will be the same quality, and would only require our filtration process with the mineral dosing to make it potable.
On similar lines to Solar Power generation, MEGHDOOT is dependent on a natural resource. The quantity of water generated can vary based on ambient conditions. However, unlike Solar Power, MEGHDOOT can still generate water anywhere.
Over 50% of the world’s population lives within 200 kms of the coast where MEGHDOOT works on very high-water production efficiency. This is incidentally also the regions most impacted by water scarcity due to high salinity in ground water resources. As we move further inland, MEGHDOOT will still be able to produce water albeit at slightly lower efficiencies.
Q. Maithri Aquatech has managed to sell its water solutions across sectors such as defence, airports, railways, education institutes and residential estates in India and it is now poised to expand the business to Africa and Southeast Asia. How is Maithri Aquatech Pvt Ltd planning to expand its operation in Africa?
A. Our company is a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and we are committed to UN Goals on sustainability. As an Indian water company, we understand that water scarcity is not just a problem for our country, but for also the planet. Africa is not new to us as we have already been exporting to a number of countries in Africa through partnerships.
We have also recently had a strategic partnership with Contec Global, a large UK based company which has a vast footprint in many countries in Africa. This will further help in bringing our innovative, cost-effective solution to many more people in Africa and will positively impact the continent. Using MEGHDOOT will help in the endeavour to become self-reliant as it will ensure not only water security but also food security, and positively impact the health of people who consume clean and safe mineral enriched water generated by the solution.
Since MEGHDOOT is available in different capacities we can meet the requirements of water from as low as 25 litres per day to even millions of litres of water for every single day.
Q. How is the product going to be effectively efficient in the sector of health, agriculture and education? And what message do you want to convey to the people of Africa?
A. There exists no solution on the planet that can solve for both water availability and contamination. With MEGHDOOT being developed in a developing country, the technology has been optimized to become more accessible to all who are in need for water.
Health:
According to the WHO, 80% of all diseases are water-borne, which is especially true in developing and under-developed countries with poor or even non-existent water infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this worse, as it has made people consciously reduce external dependency on water. MEGHDOOT as a decentralized solution, would be able to act as a dependable and personal source of clean and mineral-enriched potable water.
Agriculture:
According to The World Bank, agriculture accounts for 70% of all freshwater withdrawals globally, with it being higher in many countries which use inefficient agricultural practices. This places an extreme strain on available freshwater sources. Pairing this with global warming, population growth, industrialization and urbanization, the demand-supply gap will considerably widen into the near future. MEGHDOOT as a decentralised and scalable water solution would ensure that water requirements are met, while reducing dependency on available freshwater resources. This would promote much needed Food Security by increasing food production and reducing food shortages to meet the requirements of growing populations.
Education:
6000 children are estimated to die of water-related diseases every day, according to UNICEF. Children are often too sick to attend schools in developing, underdeveloped and even developed countries even in this day and age. The future leaders of any nation need to have access to the best quality of water, which MEGHDOOT can provide for, ensuring they miss lesser number of school days, learn more, and have access to better livelihoods.
We must understand the urgent need for alternative water solutions which are sustainable and eco-friendly. Everyone across the planet must understand that water is a precious resource, and if we are not careful and do not act now, there won’t be enough of it left for our next generation.
How MEGHDOOT Works –
MEGHDOOT is a decentralised, ‘Plug-And-Play’ solution and can be installed where needed. It is extremely scalable, capable of meeting requirements from tens of litres to millions of litres per day or more.
MEGHDOOT AWG uses refrigeration techniques to condense the humidity from the air. Air is sucked into the system through an air filter. Cooling coils located in the path of air provide a temperature differential between the air and the coil surface resulting in condensation. Water is then passed through set of filters to remove solids, to remove any odour & to eliminate any bacterial content. Pure drinking water is then supplied through the dispenser tap. The filtration process removes all external particles and dissolved organic pollutants, thereby making the water completely pure, fully potable and of International (WHO) standards. It not only maintains the water-soluble minerals which are essential for our body but also uses specially designed cartridges, which enhance the quality of water with essential minerals. In select models, the water is further remineralized with our proprietary mineral salt mixture.
UNBEATABLE WATER QUALITY.
With water quality being paramount to our health, MEGHDOOT uses a dynamic filtration system:
- Sediment filtration
- Pre and Post Carbon filtration with activated charcoal
- UV filtration
- Mineralisation
- Ozonisation
Available products and services:
MEGHDOOT CLASSIC SERIES
Up to 60 Litres Per Day
Suitable for the average Home and Small Offices
MEGHDOOT PREMIUM SERIES
Up to 250 Litres Per Day
Suitable for Laboratories, Small Businesses and Apartments
MEGHDOOT MAGNUM SERIES
Up to 1000 Litres Per Day
Suitable for meeting water requirements of an Apartment Complex, Large Organizations, Laboratories, Defence requirements and many more
MEGHDOOT SIGNATURE
Customised Solutions for requirements over 1000 Litres Per Day
Specific Features:
- MEGHDOOT produces water to WHO standards and is 100% Microbe free.
- No carbon emissions.
- Our solutions do not rely on delicate natural resources and produce no exhaust gasses while running on renewable energy.
- 100% WATER POSITIVE.
- Zero reliance on available water resources and zero wastage of water.
- PERSONAL SOURCE OF WATER.
- Our Water Solutions are end-to-end. External dependence for water is now a thing of the past.
The Right to Clean and Pure potable/drinking water is a basic Human Right. Maithri Aquatech recognizes this and is working towards making pure and clean potable water easily accessible to one and all.
