Syrian refugees using Israeli water purification systems
Aid group is installing Watergen’s technology powered by solar energy that extracts fresh drinking water from the air
Water purification technology devised by Israel’s Watergen is being used by humanitarian aid organization, Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees to provide them with mineral-enriched drinking water from the air, powered by solar energy.
Watergen’s devices will be installed in schools, hospitals and medical facilities in parts of Syria controlled by the democratic forces in the country that have good relations with the US, explained Shadi Martini, a former Aleppo resident who serves as director of the international humanitarian aid organization.
“I was a hospital administrator in Aleppo until the war broke out in 2012,” Martini recalls. “After the uprising, I had to leave the country, but I continued to work with the refugees, and I helped provide humanitarian assistance to the people.
“During my work, I frequently met with Israelis and senior representatives, such as the late President Shimon Peres, and other presidents such as Reuven Rivlin and Isaac Herzog. My goal was to promote joint work and relations between Israelis and Syrians. When I was approached to join the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees team, the idea came up to encourage Israel to open its borders further and provide humanitarian assistance.
“This happened in 2016 with a joint project with the IDF, which delivered aid through Israel to Syria, which caused the development of positive relationships between civilians on both sides of the border,” he said.
Martini explained that after the war in Syria ended in 2018, the international aid organization continued its work and did not want to lose the goodwill and relationships that have developed between the two communities.
“Because Israel does not have a direct border with the areas most affected during the war, we had to find a solution that is unique to Israel, and since it is a country that is very technologically developed and faces the same challenges and climate conditions as Syria, we considered local technologies that could help those affected by the war, and after much thought we chose Watergen.”
The company, founded in 2009, has become a world-leading producer of atmospheric, mineral-enriched drinking water devices that create high-quality, healthy drinking water from the air. The solutions enable a cost-effective and direct response to the global shortage of drinking water
and eliminate the need for supply chains that are harmful to the environment.
The company’s products include the GENNY HOME, with a volume of up to 18 liters per day, the GENNY, which produces up to 30 liters, the GEN-M1 up to 220 liters, the GEN-M Pro up to 1,000 liters, and the GEN-L Up to 6,000 liters. In addition, the company produces the Mobile Box, a mobile device that provides up to 20 liters a day.
Watergen is already providing fresh drinking water from the air in more than 85 countries, including areas such as Gaza Strip, where dozens of Watergen machines provide the best quality drinking water to hospitals and municipal buildings, giving the most effective solution to Gaza’s chronic water shortages.
“In Syria, there is a serious water problem that began even before the war, but during the battles, it worsened. Half of the water infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes. Beyond the problem of access to water, the water quality is poor and it causes diseases,” Martini says.
Dozens of Watergen devices will be installed to solve the water problem for the Syrian people.
In the first stage, two devices were installed, each producing 1,000 liters of fresh mineralized drinking water per day. The second stage will see the installation of eight more Watergen units in medical facilities and schools so that they can provide the population with 10,000 liters of water from air per day.
“Because we are in areas affected by the fighting, and the state propaganda against Israel, before we tell the locals that it is Israeli technology, we let them experiment and see for themselves how much it contributes and helps them,” Martini says.
“People were shocked when they saw it in action. When we told them that it created water from the air, they thought it was magic. At first, the local population thought we were laughing with them. After the machines ware connected they thought it could only provide small amount of water but a day afterwards they were shocked to see the huge amounts of water the machines are producing.
For additional details about organizing assistance and donations, visit https://multifaithalliance.org.